Torch (15 page)

“Granted. Show us this proof,” the elder councilman said.

Nigel opened his briefcase, pulled out a small DVD disc, and put it into his digital pad. He hit play. Everyone in the room grew silent as they listened to Ishop threaten to kill Torch if Isis didn’t return with him to Isia. He turned it off when the recording ended.

Tugs was fuming. “That is no real proof. Anyone could have claimed to be Ishop on that recording.”

“A voice recognition program can easily verify that this is indeed Prince Ishop,” Tolis offered.

The elder council nodded his head. “Tolis, have it ordered and then put it into record once it is clearly identified as Ishop. I think there is enough evidence with statements given, and the healer’s assessment to claim that Prince Ishop is guilty of kidnapping, shooting the Voltan halfsie, and almost killing Princess Isistania. Do I have ayes for agreement?”

Eleven ayes were stated by the Council and Tug voted nay. The elder councilman stated the results. “Place a warrant out for Prince Ishop’s arrest for his crimes as stated for record.” He watched as Tugs plopped back down in his seat grumbling. “Now let’s get back to our issue of releasing Princess Isistania from her obligations to her people.”

Tugs smiled a half smile before looking up and staring smugly at Isis. “It is a legal contract that was signed by her guardians and still stands, Princess Isistania as a royal member of the Isian people must take a mate and produce an heir.”

Isis had had enough of this jerk. She stood and pushed the wheelchair away. “I have a true mate, my Mate mark appeared right after I was intimate with my mate, Torch.”

“That mark could have been there back when you were with Prince Ishop before you left Isia!” Tugs glared at her.

“I have never been intimate with Ishop. In fact, I have never been intimate with anyone except Torch.”

“We have no proof.”

Isis growled as she pulled her shirt, opening it wide so the Council and the witnesses in the room could see her interconnecting circles. “That is your proof.”

“Again, I say she could have mated with Ishop or someone else. Let us see the matching marks on the supposed mate.”

Tolis spoke. “As you know, a matching mark will only appear if the mate is also an Isian. Mr. Torch is a Voltan halfsie and the marks will not appear on him.”

“We only have her word that these marks appeared after she was with the Voltan,” Tugs said.

“She was a virgin upon her hire with the GCFA. That is a documented medical record. She has had frequent checkups after each fight and I am sure that with the last fight her status of no longer being a virgin will have been documented medically. We can produce those records,” Nigel said.

Tolis stepped forward, motioning for Isis to sit back down. “Since Princess Isistania has proven that she does have a mate, then the contract that was signed by her guardians no longer applies.”

The elder council called out for a vote. “Eleven yays and one nay. The motion to release Princess Isistania from her royal obligations is approved. We hope you enjoy the rest of your stay here on Isia.”

Isis nodded her head but didn’t say anything. She just wanted to go home, to the GCFA. Home with Torch. Torch wheeled her back out of the Council hall.

She turned to Nigel. “When can we leave?”

Nigel smiled. “As soon as the healers say you are fit for traveling.”

Isis growled. “Great.”

Chapter Nineteen

Isis was so ready to leave. She just couldn’t wait. But the healers had to approve on her traveling. She felt fine really. However, she promised to wait and lay down for as long as possible to conserve her energy. Torch and Nigel were arranging the traveling plans while she waited in the suite for one of the healers to come by and see her. Two guards were outside her suite.

She looked out the window at her icy top level of her home world. Isis had been gone for almost a year. She didn’t miss this cold world, but she did miss her parents. She asked to visit her family’s old suite, which her guardians had taken over so she could get a few momentos. Things she had had to leave behind the first time. Torch asked that she wait until he returned, but she wanted to get it over with.

She opened the door and looked at the two guards. “I would like to go to my family’s royal suite now.”

“Yes, Princess.” They walked with her down the long hallway to the other end where the royal suites were kept.

She knocked on the suite door and rang the bell. Her mother’s cousin, Disa, opened the door. She frowned when she saw Isis standing there. “What do you want?”

“I came to collect some of my family’s belongings.”

“What makes you think you deserve to have anything?”

“I can request it through the Council. I will also ask them to review all the child compensation that you received up until I turned twenty-one. Half of that money was to be put into an account for me to use when I reached the age of eighteen. But that account never got a dime.”

“Bitch! Fine you can get your shit but the guards remain outside,” Disa growled.

Isis looked at her guards who did not seem happy about being kept out and losing sight of her. “I promise not to be long.”

She entered the suite and headed to where her bedroom used to be. She paused as she looked around at an empty room. “Where’s all my stuff?”

Disa leaned against the door and shrugged. “Most of it we threw out after you ran off. There might be a few boxes left in the closet.”

Isis felt her heart sink. “That wasn’t your stuff to do anything with.” She stomped over to the closet and opened the door. There was three boxes there. She knelt on the floor and opened the top box. It just had books and stuff. Nothing she cared about. She sat it aside.

She opened the second box and found a stuffed bear her father had gotten her and some clothes and shoes. She took the bear out and left the rest. She sat the box on top of the other box.

The last box she opened and looked inside, a smile broke over her face. She reached in and pulled out a picture frame. It was a picture of her, her father, and mother all laughing at one of the vacationing spots on a nearby moon. It had been the best day in her life. Just two years later her parents were killed and her life changed drastically. There wasn’t much else in the box.

She stood and grabbed the bear and picture frame. All the years on the Isle on Isia and she only had two items to show for it. It only cemented in her mind that this was no longer her home.

Isis turned to leave the bedroom when she was knocked down to the floor. She was on her hands and knees and looked up to find Ishop standing there behind her.

“You bitch! I could have been king!” He kicked her side, making her slide across the room.

Disa and Crep tried to step in between them. “Stop it or the guards will hear you.”

Ishop didn’t pay them any attention. He stomped his way over to Isis and raised his leg to kick her again. This time, Isis was ready for him.

She blocked his kick and stood slowly, tossing her long braids behind her. “Have you ever been in a real hand to hand fight?”

He smirked. “You mean like the fake shit you and those lowly GCFA fighters do?”

“Here’s a little piece of information for you. The fighting you claim to be shit...ain’t shit, asshole.” She punched him hard in the face doing a back kick.

Disa and Crep panicked and ran out of the suite. The two guards came in, prepared to try to subdue Ishop.

“No, he’s mine!” Isis ordered them back.

She circled around Ishop sizing him up. He was taller than most of the female fighters she had to fight, but he wasn’t as strong as Zara. That was her ace in the hole. She had been practicing with Zara for almost a year now.
Can’t get better training than that.

Ishop was keeping his distance. He looked at the guards and realized he wasn’t getting out of there and escaping again. He was determined to take Isis down with him. He tried to kick her but his kick missed. He did manage to get her to back up against the wall and quickly hit her with his right hand.

Isis pushed him away from her. She spit out the blood from his hit on the floor. “That all you got?”

Isis kneed him in the gut. He backed away trying to stay out of her reach. A commotion caught her attention. She looked over at the door. Torch shoved his way inside followed by Nigel and Tolis.

“Isis?” Torch went to reach her but she shook her head at him.

“Aw, look your boyfriend is here to fight for you,” Ishop said with bitterness.

“I don’t need Torch to fight you. I can take you myself,” Isis told him.

He snorted. “Right.” He lunged for her, hitting her with his fists.

But Isis withstood those and jabbed him in the side. He doubled over and she kneed his chin, knocking him back on his ass. She would have pulled back but Zara’s words echoed in her head, “Get them down and keep them down!” She stepped up to Ishop and stomped her foot down hard on his scrotum.

Torch turned to Nigel and said, “God, I love the way that female fights.”

She turned to Torch and gave him a bloody smile. “I want to go home now.”

The guards rushed forward and grabbed a crying Ishop, dragging him out. She turned to Tolis. “My guardians were harboring Ishop. He was here when I got here.”

“Why did you come here in the first place?” Torch asked.

Isis turned to go back toward the bedroom where her bear and picture frame had landed. “I came for a few family items.” She walked over to Torch and he lifted her chin to look at her mouth.

“We need a healer.”

She shook her head. “I’m fine. It will heal on its own in a few hours. I just want to leave Isia.”

Torch looked over at Tolis. “You are free to go. Judgment of Ishop’s guilt has already been handed down. Now we have him in custody.”

“Then let’s go,” Torch said, wrapping his arms around Isis and walking with her out of the door. He would be glad to leave this place and never come back.

Chapter Twenty

Isis was more than happy to finally get back to the GCFA. Her friends welcomed her back and the GCFA gave her some time off to fully recuperate. Tolis sent her a message letting her know that Ishop was going to serve a lifetime in the Isian iceland prisons. It was better than he deserved. But at least she was finally free of the male. Everything was working out. Her biggest frustration was with Torch.

It was a week since she had been back and Torch kept treating her like an invalid, not sharing sex. The healers had pronounced her ready to start back with her training for the next day. That should mean she was a go for hot sex. But Torch insisted on waiting a little longer. Though he practically moved into her suite with her, he was keeping his distance. Well she had had enough of the waiting.

*****

Torch came back from his morning practice. He wanted to have a nice lunch with Isis, and check to see how she was feeling. He just needed to be near her. He was haunted by the memory of finding her in that dark closet, collared and not breathing well. He could have lost her. That was unacceptable.

He knew she was a strong female. It took everything he had to stand by and watch her fight with Ishop. All he wanted to do was burn the male to a crisp. But he recognized that Isis needed to deal with him on her own terms. Afterwards when he held her, carrying her to the spaceport to leave Isia, he felt how small she was in his arms and he promised himself he would take much better care of her. She wasn’t making it easy on him.

He fought his urges to claim her over and over. He slept with her next to him, in his arms every night. He had breakfast, lunch, and dinner with her every day. Just the scent of her had him rock hard. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could take it slow. His every impulse was to rip her clothes off and fuck her for two days straight. Something was going to have to happen and soon.

He walked into the very quiet suite. “Isis?” he called out. He didn’t find her in the kitchen. He headed to the bedroom. That’s when he heard the shower. His heartbeat quickened at the images of her naked in the shower. Usually she took cold baths and she would be done before he got home. Now he found he couldn’t resist walking to the bathroom and opening the door that was left ajar. The moment the door was opened, he was hit with steam and the undeniable scent of his mate’s arousal.

“Isis,” he groaned as he took in her naked flesh through the glass shower door. She had her head tipped back as her hands ran slowly up and down her breasts and slim stomach.

He couldn’t move, just froze there watching her touch herself. She dipped her fingers down to her smooth mound. Then one finger dipped inside of her pussy lips. He had to grab the doorframe to keep himself standing in place.

“Are you going to join me?” Isis asked with a husky voice.

“I…don’t know.” Torch licked his lips imagining tasting her everywhere.

“Okay.” She turned her back to him and bent over to wash her legs.

“Fuck!” Torch couldn’t take it. That sweet ass of hers and her pretty breasts. He had to take her. He ripped his t-shirt off and shucked out of his pants and shoes.

He opened the door and entered into the shower. “Are you okay with the heat?” He didn’t want her to get overheated.

She turned her head to glance at him over her shoulder. “I feel fine. See.” She turned around and walked up against him. His hands reached for her hips. “Don’t I feel fine?”

“Oh yeah. You feel real fine, baby.” He reached up with one hand gently but firmly holding her head to him so he could sweep down and kiss her. He stroked and swirled his tongue around hers. Then sucked her tongue inside his mouth.

The taste of her wrapped around him. It seemed like forever since he had kissed her like this. The feel of her breasts pressing against his warm and slick chest. He ran his hands down her back and took each butt cheek in his hands. He brought her against his cock.

“Please, Torch, I need you.”

He released his left hand, moved it to the front, and petted her mound. “Let’s see if you’re ready for me.” He inserted his finger and despite the water from the shower, found her to be wet with her arousal. He pressed another finger inside of her.