Victorious Star (18 page)

Seht leaned over and whispered. “I have a nice rare steak waiting for you.”

Victoria’s mouth watered. “I think I could eat an entire bovine.” She pressed her hand to her stomach. “Fate, why does it hurt so much?”

Seht snorted. “Very likely because you’ve just had your body reconstructed from the genetic level.”

Victoria winced. “You’re just full of good news…”

“Speaking of good news, there are a few things I need to tell you about your new diet.”

“New diet?” Victoria frowned. “Do I have to eat weird stuff now?”

Seht pushed the lift-call button. “Not really, though you can eat things that you originally couldn’t.”

Visions of insects and poisonous reptiles flooded her imagination. Victoria groaned. “Terrific…”

Seht guided her into the lift. “It’s more a restriction on what you can’t eat anymore.”

Victoria eyed him suspiciously. “Like what?”

The doors closed and Seht pulled her against his side. “You’re a predator now, so you have to pretty much eat meat.”

Oh, is that all?
Victoria sighed in relief and leaned into him. “I can deal with that.” It was the desire to kill it herself that she was having problems dealing with.

He nodded. “And avoid anything that’s green.”

Victoria stilled. “Define ‘avoid’.”

He stared at the door. “How does ‘it’s poisonous’ sound?”

Victoria looked up at him. “If it’s green, it’s poisonous? You’re serious?”

He nodded. “If it’s a leaf, you don’t put it in your mouth.”

She nibbled her bottom lip carefully. “What about potatoes, they’re roots?”

He shrugged. “I’d use extreme caution.”

Victoria stared at the door. She’d never been overly fond of green vegetables to begin with, but
no potatoes?
That meant no mashed potatoes and no deep-fried potatoes. She groaned. Maybe this transformation wasn’t such a good idea after all…

Seht grabbed her sleeve. “Not just yet.” He marched her right into the bedchamber.

Not another delay?
She very nearly bit him; she was so hungry. “What?”

Seht threw his coat on the bed. Bare-chested and magnificent in only snug trousers and knee-high boots, he shoved her toward the facility. “Apparently you haven’t noticed that your clothes are soaked in blood.”

Victoria moaned. “Can’t I wash after I eat?”

“Absolutely not.” Seht sent her through the facility door. “Ravnos would have both our throats if I let you get blood on his precious cushions.” He tugged her to a halt by the washbasin.

Her fingers fumbled on the wet knot. “Can we hurry?”

He smiled fleetingly. “Yes, we can hurry.” He unknotted the belt on her robe then jerked it off.

Victoria yanked the robe from her shoulders and dropped it. It made a heavy wet sound on the deck. The silk tunic stuck damply to her. “I didn’t realize I got so much on me…”

“What did you do? Bathe in their blood?” He grabbed the hem of the sleep shirt and pulled it up over her head.

Victoria flinched. She had wanted to. She stepped out of the loose trousers.

Seht’s eyes opened wide. “Mother of mercy!”

Victoria frowned. “What?”

He frowned. “Turn all the way around.”

“What is it?” Victoria turned around.
What was with him?

“Incredible.” He shook his head. “You were lovely before, but you make a stunning
rehkyt.”

Victoria arched a brow. “Does that mean I’m convincing?”

He grinned. “I’m going to be the envy of every
skeldhi
lord there.”

Victoria wondered briefly just how many damned robes Ravnos kept in his closet.

She was finally allowed into the salon. She nearly ran to the table.

Seht speared a huge, very rare steak from the warming tureen, put it on a plate and set it before her with a flourish. He sat down and leaned back in his chair to watch her.

It took every ounce of restraint she had to unfold her napkin and actually use the utensils. The meat tasted like pure heaven on her tongue. Then came the chewing. Her teeth wouldn’t let her. They were too long to chew side to side. She stopped in alarm. How the hell was she supposed to eat?

Seht snorted in amusement. “Cut smaller pieces and swallow them whole.”

Her cheeks flushed with heat. Swallow it whole? She struggled to chew what she had in her mouth then finally gave up and swallowed it. It lodged like a rock, then something in the very base of her throat seemed to close around it, crushing it smaller, and it passed into her stomach with ease. She sighed in relief.

She took a cautious sip from her glass.
Water.
“I have to swallow food whole?”

Seht nodded. “Don’t worry, you’ll be able to digest it just fine.”

Victoria busily cut a smaller piece. “Isn’t that a little…?” She stopped. The last thing she wanted to do is issue an insult.

“Uncivilized?” Seht raised his brow.

Victoria shoved the bite into her mouth rather than reply. It took her a moment to remember to just swallow it.

Seht leaned back in his chair. “According to my culture, only food eats plant-life.”

Victoria stared at him in shock.

Seht laughed out loud. “No, we don’t eat humans!” He leaned forward with a hungry smile. “We keep them as pets.”

Pets…
Victoria felt a shiver ripple up her spine. She turned back to her plate with a will.

Seht’s smile broadened into a grin.

“The bodies have been disposed of and the hall is being decontaminated.” He pulled off his coat and tossed it over the back of a chair, revealing his bare chest.

Victoria felt her cheeks warm.
I killed two men.
She closed her eyes. She had killed before in self-defense, in the heat of battle. But this time…
I enjoyed it.
She had laughed. She had very nearly attacked Seht and Ravnos as well. She set down her fork. She just couldn’t stomach another bite.

Seht nodded at her plate. “Done?”

Victoria nodded without looking up. She desperately wanted to go to sleep and not think about anything.

“Good.” Seht moved the napkin by his glass, revealing the ornate syringe. “This is the last course. After that, we’ll set the
shen
on you and then you can sleep.”

Victoria looked up tiredly. “Can’t we wait to do the
shen
thing?”

Ravnos stood by Seht’s chair, tall, dark and grim. His muscled chest gleamed under the scattered lights. “No.”

Seht got up from the table and gestured that she get up as well.

“Fine, whatever…” Victoria couldn’t believe how much effort it took to push out of the chair. “Fate, I’m tired…”

Ravnos frowned grimly at Seht. “You can sleep as soon as we’re done.”

She followed them into the bedchamber.

Ravnos sat on the bed and tugged her across his lap. He stretched her out face up with her head pillowed on his hard thighs. “Put your hands behind your neck.”

Victoria obeyed then looked over at Seht. “What does this one do?”

Seht knelt at her side. “This one stops the transformation. The last one, the one we’re not giving you, would lock you in this form.”

Ravnos pushed the robe aside, baring her breasts. His palm lingered on her golden skin. Something dark moved behind his gaze. He tugged at her belt and opened the robe, revealing her entire form. His eyes widened. “Mother of Mercy…”

Seht snorted. “That’s what I said.” He looked up at Ravnos. “She’s lovely like this, is she not?”

Ravnos frowned. “She wasn’t this golden when we left her in the shower. I definitely don’t remember her nipples being that red.”

“My guess is that her fight in the hall triggered a stronger change.” Seht nodded at Victoria. “Very few
rehkyt
go into
rahyt,
the blood-rage, before the third course. Those that are trained for
upuaht,
bodyguards, are often pushed into one as part of their conditioning, but it’s not a normal occurrence otherwise. It’s how they make a prime.”

“Blood-rage?” Victoria’s brows shot up. “Is that what happened to me?”

Ravnos nodded. “It’s a type of berserk fury triggered by a life threat or extreme rage.”

Victoria clenched her jaw. She’d definitely had a bad case of rage. “I see.”

Ravnos sighed. “It was a natural reaction for what you are now.”

Seht shot an accusatory glance at Ravnos. “If you had let us stay it would not…”

“If I had let you stay…” Ravnos caught his gaze and held it. “Her sense of independence would never have reasserted itself.”

Seht frowned at Ravnos. “But now she’s a prime, a very aggressive
rehkyt.”

“And capable of protecting herself.” Ravnos looked over at Victoria. “Speaking of protection…” He glanced over at his executive officer and a slight smile hovered on his lips. “I expect you to watch over Seht as well.”

Victoria looked over at the pale
skeldhi
and felt a strong wash of emotion swell around her heart. “Count on it, sir.”

Seht snorted and crossed his arms. “I don’t need a bodyguard.”

Victoria grinned. “Too late, I have orders now.”

Seht raised a brow. “That is quite an attitude, pet.”

Ravnos snorted. “It matches yours.”

Seht raised a brow at Ravnos. “I guess it’s to be expected, she has my genetic code.” He brushed his fingers down her body.

Victoria shivered and arched under his touch.

Seht flashed a brief smile. “I don’t think I’ve ever made a lovelier
rehkyt…”

Ravnos swallowed. “She can’t stay this way.”

Seht set two fingers at the bottom of her sternum and raised the needle. “I know.”

Victoria looked up at Ravnos rather than at the needle. She could see his erection straining at the seam of his trousers only inches from her lips. She could smell the perfume of his arousal. He wanted her this way. She felt a smile curl her lip. Not that he had wanted her any less the other way.

“Hold her.” Seht placed the long needle between his fingers.

Ravnos’s arm closed tightly around her legs and he pressed his palm on her forehead.

She felt a punch in her heart and gasped. An odd brightness formed at the back of her eyes. No heat, no chill, just that brightness. The flavor of brass filled her mouth. She took two breaths, then felt a ripple up her spine. A fine trembling started throughout her body. Suddenly, her back bowed sharply. She released a startled cry.

Victoria panted and blinked up at Ravnos. Sweat dotted his forehead. She puzzled over it. She must have lost a moment. There was a tingling throughout her whole body and her legs felt numb where his arm curled around them. Maybe she’d lost more than just a moment. “Are we done?”

Seht leaned back on his heels and wiped at his brow. “This is.”

Victoria looked over at him. “No more needles?”

Seht snorted. “Not unless you ask for it.”

Victoria pushed upright on Ravnos’s lap. “No, thank you!”

Ravnos caught her around the waist, keeping her on his lap. “Stay here.”

Seht caught Ravnos’s gaze then rose to his feet. “I’ll go get it.”

Victoria watched him stride toward the table. “Get what?”

Ravnos released a sigh. “Your collar.”

Seht came back with the smooth black box. He looked over at Ravnos. “We should do this in the shower…”

“No.” Ravnos speared Seht with an icy glare. “We are not doing
that.”

Seht winced away but held his gaze. “It’s part of the…”

“I said, no.” Ravnos lowered his brows. “I have no intention of taking this that far.”

Seht clenched his jaw. “Fine.” He sat down on the bed and opened the box. He carefully extracted a thin band of plain metal. Superfine electronic pins clustered at one end inside of the collar. “Put your head on my knee, Victoria.”

Victoria stared at the collar and felt a fine trembling break out all over her. She drew a breath and leaned over, setting her palm on his thigh and her cheek on his knee. She clenched her hands into fists to stop the shaking. Her hair was pulled to one side.

“Hold still.” Seht slid the cool metal around her throat. “I’m sorry, but this part is going to hurt.”

“Great…” Victoria closed her eyes.

He brought the ends together. With one hard jab, he pressed the pins into the base of her neck.

Victoria snorted.
Was that all?
The sharp stab from the pins was not that impressive. Their sword cuts had been worse. A sudden sweat broke out on her body.
Huh?

A blinding power surge went through her piloting array. She gasped. The power surge traveled with hideous speed throughout her augmentations. Her entire body shuddered hard under the assault. From far away, she felt both men grab her to keep her from falling.

Then a surge spread down her spine to places she knew for a fact no augmentation existed. Her fingers and toes twitched and her skin tried to crawl from her bones. She bit her lip to keep from screaming. A moan escaped instead.

It stopped.

Soaked in sweat Victoria panted with exhaustion. “Is it over?”

“Put your hands behind your back.” Seht’s knee shifted under her cheek.

Victoria put her hands behind her back and felt her wrists captured.
I guess it’s not over.

Seht wrapped her braid around his hand. He barked out something in a language she didn’t know.

Lightning blazed through her. She screamed and fought to get away. Both men worked to keep her in place.

“Seht, that’s enough!” Ravnos barked out.

The lightning stopped.

Victoria moaned and tears streamed from her eyes. “Son of a bitch… What the hell was that for?”

Seht released her braid and stroked her back with a palm “That was the command setting for punishment. This is the other one.”

Victoria stilled. “Another one?”

Seht barked out another phrase.

Heat and lust burst in her core then clenched tight with hideous strength. All thought fled but for the hunger in her cunt. She writhed, moaning in urgent need, across their laps.

Abruptly the vicious hunger relaxed its grip.

Victoria gasped and shifted restlessly. The urgency was over, but the need was not completely gone; it simmered in the background like a threat.

“The telepathic commands are programmed,” Seht said tiredly. “Now we’re done.”

“Thank Fate…” Her wrists were released and she struggled to sit up.

Seht lifted her up onto her knees between them. “Hold still.” He daubed some antiseptic cream where the pins stabbed into her neck. “Those were the two extremes of the collar.”

Victoria released a breath. Whatever he was putting on her neck immediately eased the burn. “The pain was bad, but that second whatever-it-was, was awful.”

“It’s the total loss of control over your own body.” Ravnos swept a hand down her arm.

Victoria nodded. “Pain doesn’t make you want things.”

Seht released her. “That will heal up in an hour.”

“It feels better already.” She frowned up at Seht. “Did you say telepathic?”

Seht tugged her robe closed. “The
shen
is a receiver. It’s programmed to my projected thoughts.”

Victoria frowned. “You can think at me and make me do things?”

“Something like that,” Seht said dryly.

A small shiver raced up her spine. “That’s creepy.”

Ravnos lifted her braid and turned her head to peer at the collar plugged into her neck. “It means that as long as you wear it, you’ll be in communication. You’ll be able to hear his thoughts, like speech. It also means he can locate you no matter where you are, or how far you go.” He released her hair.

Victoria tilted her head. “Can I use it to find you if we’re separated?”

Seht smiled tiredly. “Only you would think of the
shen
that way.”

Victoria frowned. “Huh?”

Seht shook his head. “Yes, you can find me.”

Ravnos snorted.
“Rehkyt
are normally more interested in their inability to escape.”

Victoria shrugged. “You’re going to take it off when we’re done, so that doesn’t matter. Is there anything else I need to know about this thing?”

Seht raised a brow. “A little overconfident, aren’t we?”

Ravnos glanced briefly at Seht. “The
shen
also acts like the force cuffs. It will hold you in one position and a direct command will make you obey.”

“How nice.” She released a jaw-cracking yawn. “Now can I sleep?”

Ravnos nodded. “Put her to bed, Seht.”

Seht rose from the bed. “With pleasure.”

Ravnos raised a brow. “And let her sleep.”

Seht snorted. “Of course.”

Victoria shook her head. “I can crawl under the covers myself, you know.”

Seht caught her around the waist and scooped her up into his arms. “And deny me the pleasure of carrying you? How unkind.”

Victoria wrapped her arms around his neck and let her head drop onto his shoulder. “Goodness, we wouldn’t want to deny you a pleasure.”

He carried her around to the far side of the bed. “I see that I’m going to have to spank some respect into that bottom.”

Victoria yawned. “Can we do it when I wake up?”

“Absolutely.” He knelt on the mattress, pulled back the covers then set her facedown among the pillows. He tugged the robe from her.

Victoria blinked up at him. “Good night.”

He leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to her mouth. “Sleep well.” He pulled the blankets up over her.

Victoria was asleep in seconds.