Torch (14 page)

“Honey, I have to fry the collar’s system and make it shut down. It's going to hurt like hell, but then I’ll be able to move you,” Torch told her, waiting for her to make the decision.

She gulped. “Do it.” She closed her eyes and waited for the pain.

“I am so sorry about this.” Torch touched her collar and sent a shock of heat through the thing.

Isis screamed as the collar tried to fight the voltage sent to it. Her whole body felt like it was on fire. Her body began to convulse. She passed out right before the collar fried and released from her neck automatically.

Torch lifted Isis’s prone body up into his arms and ran out of the closet and suite. He didn’t stop when some of the guards yelled at him. He continued until he reached his and Nigel’s suite. The guards were back outside and glared at him.

“How did you get out?”

“I need a healer now!” Torch kicked open the suite door.

Nigel leapt up from the couch. “What happened?”

Torch didn’t stop walking. He headed to the bathroom. “The bastard had her locked in a dark closet with a damn neutralizing collar on emitting painful shockwaves. I had to fry it to get her out of it.”

“Oh God no. Is she okay?”

“No, she needs a healer.” Torch kept hold of her as he turned the cold water on in the tub.

Nigel asked. “What are you doing?”

“She needs cold water to get her body temperature down.” He yelled at the guards that had followed them to the bathroom, “Get the damn healers in here!” They scrambled out of there, calling for healers on their security mics.

“Fuck, is she even breathing?” Nigel asked, turning the cold water off.

“Yes, she just passed out from the pain.” He gently lowered Isis into the tub, then scooped cold water, letting it run down over the burn mark on her neck. “Come on, honey, wake up.”

There was scuffling out in the main part of the suite. Nigel went to see what was going on. He came back in. “The healers are here and so is Tolis.”

The healers tried to push Torch out of the way. “You need to leave the bathroom and allow us to care for her.”

Torch glared at the male. “I am not letting her out of my sight!”

Nigel stepped up. “He’s her mate. He has a right to remain with her.”

The healers didn’t look convinced, but they allowed Torch to stay in the bathroom. They injected her with a cooling gel that would cool her from the inside out and also acted like a healing agent. The healers moved her hair back and frowned at the red burn mark that was a ring around her neck.

“What is that?” the older healer asked.

“Ishop had her locked up with a neutralizing collar. I had to fry the system to get it to open up.”

The healers stopped what they were doing and stared at Torch. “Prince Ishop did this?”

Torch was ready to defend his claim. “Yes, he did. He had her in his suite this whole time, which can be verified. I went to look for her. I found her locked in a dark closet, beaten and bruised with the collar on restricting her movements.” He lifted his hand, which still had the neutralizing collar in it. “I brought this back with me.”

The elder healer stood and called the security guards over. “We need the Council guards here at once and Prince Ishop needs to be taken into custody until he is brought for judgment before the Council.”

The security guards nodded and used their intercoms to call for the Council guards. The elder healer turned back to Torch. “You did well, Voltan, getting her into cold water as soon as possible.”

“Will she be alright?” Torch asked, caressing her cheek gently. He hated she was still unconscious but it was probably for the best since she might feel tremendous pain when she awakened.

“She will be well enough to go before the Council and formally charge Prince Ishop of this deed. But it will take weeks before she is at a 100 percent. Are you really her mate?”

Torch moved her shirt down so the healer could see her Mate mark. “It appeared shortly after we were together. But I don’t have one.”

“Because you are not Isian. But it will not matter. You are her mate and there is no dispute,” the elder healer said.

Torch noticed that Isis blinked her eyes. “Hey there, honey, open your eyes for me.”

Isis squinted and opened her eyes. She looked around then focused on him. “Torch.”

“See, you can’t get away from me that easily,” he joked with her.

She blinked then smiled. “I love you, Torch.” Then she passed out again.

“I love you too, beautiful.”

Chapter Eighteen

Isis woke feeling like something was weighing her body down. She opened her eyes to a dark room but she wasn’t in the closet anymore. She was on a very comfortable bed. Had she dreamed of seeing Torch?

“You are awake. How do you feel?” a male voice asked from the dark corner of the room.

“Nigel?”

He moved closer and sat down on the edge of the bed. “Yes. I helped coordinate the efforts to get you back.”

“I thought I saw Torch before?” She tried to sit up but couldn’t move much.

“He’s taking a hot shower. His temperature got a little low and the healers ordered him to moderate his own temperature or they would sedate him and do it for him.”

Isis laughed. “He’s stubborn to the point that only a threat gets him to act.”

Nigel smiled. “He wouldn’t leave your side. I had to swear to stay here while he showered. He was a wreck without you.”

“I didn’t want to leave. I was forced to.”

“He knows that,” Nigel reassured her. They both turned to watch as Torch stepped out of the steamy bathroom wearing nothing but a towel. “I think that’s my cue to leave. I will talk to you later.” Nigel stood and left the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Isis watched Torch as he came closer to the bed. Beads of water dripped down his hard body making her suddenly thirsty. She licked her lips.

He frowned. “You’re thirsty?” He moved quickly to get a cup of ice water that was sitting on the nightstand. He sat down and helped raise her up so she could sip the water.

“Thank you,” she whispered, laying back down. The sheet had fallen down to her waist revealing that she was completely naked. She couldn’t move to reach for the blanket. Torch lightly traced the interconnecting circles above her heart.

“They’re my Mate mark.”

“Yes, I know,” he told her, leaning down and placing a kiss on her mark.

“I’m sorry, I should have told you about them.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“I was shocked to see them. Then I wasn’t sure how you would feel about them. We never talked about anything long term and a Mate mark symbolizes long term.”

“You didn’t give me a chance though,” he accused.

She nodded with sad eyes. “You’re right. I should have. Please forgive me.”

He laid down next to her, careful not to move her too much. “I will if you will forgive me for being such an ass when your guardians and Ishop showed up on the GCFA ship. You were trying to tell me then but we were interrupted.”

“I wanted to tell you everything because I was falling in love with you.”

“Were falling in love?”

“I have fallen completely and utterly in love with you,” Isis told him seriously.

He smiled at her slowly. “Good.” Then he closed his eyes.

She waited then shoved a little at his shoulder. “Isn’t there something you want to say to me?”

“Nope.”

“Torch!”

He chuckled as he pulled her into his arms and stared down into her beautiful blue eyes. “I am completely in love with you too.”

She sighed and snuggled in his arms. “How long was I out?”

“Nearly twelve hours. Scared the shit out of me.”

“Why am I not able to move my arms and legs good?”

“The healers had to sedate you so you would remain still while the healing gel worked through your system.”

“What happened with Ishop?”

“At first he tried to claim that his courtesan arranged the whole kidnapping without his knowledge. Then she presented video feed and recordings that she taped when they were together without his knowledge, he made a run for it. He has disappeared.”

“What? How did he disappear?”

“We believe he had help in going to one of the levels below the palace.”

“What is the Council going to do?”

“They have guards and security looking for him. He won’t get off the planet for sure. They’ll catch him eventually.”

“So it's over, we can leave?”

He shook his head. “You will have to go before the Council to request to be released from your obligations to Isia.”

She frowned. “Are they stupid? Do they think I will mate someone else to be a broodmare when I have a mate?”

“They have to see that you have a mate before they release you. Nigel says it's just a formality.”

“Fine. When do we go before the Council?”

“As soon as the healers say that you can be moved. They will come back to check on you in another two hours.”

“So, we have a couple of hours to ourselves?” she asked, looking up into his handsome face and wiggling her eyebrows.

“Honey, you can barely move. We’ll look into all that after you are completely healed.”

She pouted. “But I want you.”

“I want you too. Always. But we’ll wait.” He chuckled when she grumbled. He pulled her tight against his body. “Now all you have to do is rest, sweetness.”

“Easier said than done,” she said while yawning. She closed her eyes and breathed him in.

*****

A few hours later the healers pronounced her ready to go before the Council. Security guards showed up at their suite to escort them to the Council hall. The healer trailed alongside of them and there were guards in front and back.

“I don’t need to be in a wheelchair. I can walk,” Isis grumbled. The sedative had worn off an hour earlier and she was able to walk to the bathroom on her own. The healing gel the healers gave her was also restoring her strength.

Torch was pushing the chair. “This was the only way the healers would allow you to be moved.”

They didn’t say anything more as they reached the end of a long hallway and double doors opened into what first appeared to be a large ballroom. But the closer they got, Torch could make out a long table in the center of the room where ten males and two females sat. They must be the Council. When they got to the entrance, he noticed that all around the room were bleachers of seats filled with Isians.

Tolis was waiting for them just inside the door. He smiled down at Isis. “Princess Isistania, it is a pleasure to see you again.”

“You too, Tolis. How is your family?”

“Mother and father are doing quite well. My younger sister just mated two months' ago.”

“Tell her congratulations for me.”

“Perhaps you could stay and see them for yourself. I know they would love to see you.”

Torch growled. “She won’t be staying.”

When Tolis looked at Isis for confirmation, she just shrugged her shoulders. “I have a life to get back to.”

“Everyone come to order!” one of the older councilman called out. He pointed for Torch to wheel Isis closer. “We are here today to hear Princess Isistania’s request to be released from her Isian Royal duties.”

“Sir Councilman Jorge and my other fellow councilmen, I mean no disrespect, but we should address a more pressing issue first,” a younger male said standing up.

“What issue is that Councilman Tugs?”

“The false accusation that Prince Ishop kidnapped and abused Princess Isistania.”

There was an eruption of conversations throughout the room. The elder councilman pounded on the table. “Settle down or I will have you removed.” He glared at Councilman Tugs. “What are you trying to say?”

“I was contacted personally by Prince Ishop. He says he was falsely accused and request all changes be dropped.”

“Son of a Bitch!” Torch yelled out loud.

“Shh…” Tolis frowned at him. “Keep your temper in check or they will have you removed.”

“Let them fucking try to, I will toast their asses,” Torch growled.

Isis turned to look back at him reassuringly. “It will be okay.”

“What would you have us do?” Jorge asked.

“Allow me to question Princess Isistania in order to prove Prince Ishop’s innocence.”

The elder council nodded. “Very well. Proceed with your questioning.”

Tugs stood and walked around the long table coming closer to Isis. Torch growled when he got too close and Tugs took a couple of steps back. He smiled an oily smile at her showing white teeth.

“Princess Isistania, I understand you have suffered quite a trauma.”

Isis nodded her head. “Yes.”

“Could it be that your memory is affected and that you were mistaken in your claims that Prince Ishop, who has been your long time destined mate, did not do the things that he is being accused of?”

“First off, Ishop was never my destined mate. Secondly, I am in perfect mind and I know exactly who did this to me.”

“Perhaps you are a bit confused.” He made a gesture at his head toward the Council trying to say without words that she didn’t know what she was saying. Some of them laughed.

“No, I am not confused. But I am fucking pissed off!”

“Princess Isistania, you will hold your temper or you will be removed,” the elder council said.

Isis had to bite her lip not to make a snide remark. Torch squeezed her shoulder, letting her know that he supported her no matter what. If she wanted him to punch Tugs he would in a heartbeat. It calmed her to know that he was there for her.

“Get on with your questioning, Tugs, and stop making rude remarks about my client,” Tolis said through gritted teeth.

“Fine. Princess, did you or did you not get on board Prince Ishop’s ship willingly to come to Isia?”

“I did but…”

“There, you came willingly. Therefore anything done to you since was by your agreement.”

“I only agreed to come with him because he threatened to kill Torch!”

“Which you have no proof of!” Tugs yelled back at her.

“Actually, we do have proof,” Nigel spoke up.

Tugs frowned. “Physical proof.”

“We have that. If I may present it to the Council?” Nigel asked formally.