Victorious Star (26 page)

Seht smiled, lounging comfortably in a plush chair. He looked magnificent with his hair brushed and thick with thousands of tiny braids interwoven with beads that matched his heart-of-flame blue eyes. His court robes had been pressed and arranged in flowing layers of midnight blue and cobalt blue over a floor-length black kilt. A decorative serpent pattern was woven and brilliantly embroidered into the heavy silks. He crossed one leg negligently over the other, then folded his hands over his knee, letting his long sleeves drape gracefully over the arms of the chair.

He grinned as the attendants began smoothing a richly scented cream into Victoria’s skin.
Don’t panic, they have permission to touch.

Warm palms closed enthusiastically on her breasts. Her nipples rose under their ministrations. Victoria closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, holding on to her temper with grim determination.
How much permission?

Seht chuckled.
I told them that they couldn’t fuck you, but they could make you cum if they liked.

Victoria’s eyes snapped open.
What!
Hands delved between her thighs. She clenched her hands and a growl rumbled in her throat.

All five attendants jumped back and looked over at Seht.

“No biting.” Seht grinned broadly. “Keep your arms and feet in those positions, pet.”

Victoria’s augmentation shimmered. She gasped and twisted sharply, but her arms and her feet refused to move.

“Gentlemen, she’s yours to play with.” Seht waved his hand.
Relax and enjoy, Victoria, they only get to use their hands.

The five
skeldhi
came at her with hands outstretched and lascivious grins on their faces. They surrounded her and overwhelmed her with gentle strokes and bold touches. Fingers trailed down her spine and stroked her belly, creating visible shivers that brought smiles.

Victoria writhed under their enthusiastic and thorough hands, but it only seemed to encourage them to boldness. The scent of their arousal, and the knowledge that she had made every one of them hard, was insidiously intoxicating. Heat and liquid excitement pulsed in her core. She was most definitely getting excited despite her best intentions.
How could you do this to me?

Seht shrugged.
You keep giving me such good ideas, pet. How can I resist?

Me?
Victoria shivered. Fingers pinched and tugged at her nipples, making delicious jolts of pleasure, while other hands squeezed and kneaded the fullness of her breasts. She gasped as her thighs and ass were ruthlessly massaged and explored. Two fingers burrowed into her core to curl and flick expertly within. Another finger slathered in cream slid down the seam of her butt then insinuated itself into her ass, to begin a slow, decadent pumping. She gasped as fire streaked up her spine.

Seht nodded.
I saw how you watched them as they administered to me. Your little mind was writhing with interesting and depraved thoughts. I thought I’d indulge one or two.

Victoria whimpered as orgasm threatened to overtake her.
That’s not fair!
Fingers pinched her nipples at just the right moment. She sucked in a sharp breath and cried out her climax.

Satisfied smiles bloomed across five male faces.

Seht chuckled.
It sounds perfectly fair to me. Or should I say ‘sounded’?

Primped, painted, adorned, and dressed, Victoria was finally released from her restraints, thoroughly wrung out from almost an hour’s worth of repeated orgasms. She could barely stand.

Seht thanked the five sweaty attendants warmly.

They left with speed.

Seht chuckled. “They’re off to work out their frustrations on the
seysehn rehkyt.
You really got them worked up. They’re probably ruined for duties for the rest of the night.” He shook his head. “If the ecstasy suite isn’t ready, there’s going to be a very entertaining view in the main hall.”

Victoria panted where she stood.
Me? I got them worked up?

Seht strode to her in a whisper of silk and murderously expensive cologne. His arm closed hard around her waist, pulling her snugly against him. He cupped her face. “Oh yes. Prime females are known for their passionate natures, and all they could do was touch.” His lips covered hers in a hungry kiss that stole her breath.

Victoria moaned into his mouth. He was hard and firm against her belly. She pulled back and grinned.
Liked the show, did you?

Seht leisurely stroked her lips with his tongue.
I’d be in you and tied right now if we didn’t have other things to accomplish first.

She heard the jingle of chain then the sharp click as he fastened the lead to her collar. She flinched.
Is that really necessary?

Seht coiled the lead in his hand and smiled. “No, not really, but I love your flinching reaction to it.”

What?
Victoria jerked back, but he held her tight against him. Her hands splayed on the soft silk covering his hard breast.

Seht snorted and tapped her nose with a finger. “You never even blinked when I set the
shen
on you, but as soon as I put the chain around your pretty throat you gave me a response.”

Victoria looked sharply away, determined to keep her feelings about the chain private.

Seht tugged lightly on her chain. “So, it’s the chain that makes you feel like a proper slave. How interesting.” He raised a silver brow. “I wonder what would happen if I bound you tight, in nothing but chains?”

Victoria glared from the corner of her eye.
You are enjoying the hell out of this.

Seht grinned broadly enough to show his long teeth. “Yes, yes I am.” He pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “Alas, it’s time to go. We’re late as it is.”

Victoria was not exactly looking forward to being in the company of all the
skeldhi
lords present on the station. She knew Lord Syrhus, and had met the
Mahfeht’syr
Ehru, the master-enforcer, but there were two more she didn’t know. Seht was the fifth
skeldhi
lord.

Lord Syrhus’s salon was full to overflowing with silk-robed dignitaries drinking from crystal glasses and black-suited enforcers hovering behind them. Golden-skinned
seysehn rehkyt
from every conceivable human race lounged under chairs and tables or knelt by knees, wearing slender gold chain leads, expensive jewelry and nothing else. All of them had rings and jewels dangling from their nipples and nether parts. The males wore odd harnesses around their privates to hold them firmly upright.

Lord Syrhus was deep in conversation with another
skeldhi
in autumn gold robes. The delicate leads to a pair of kneeling
rehkyt
were tucked into Syrhus’s sash. Their upswept hair was so golden a blonde it was nearly the same color as their skin. They were dripping with bright green gemstones, and nothing else.

Victoria schooled her expression to cool disinterest, but it was hard, especially when it looked like she was the only
rehkyt
in the room actually wearing clothing.

Seht leaned slightly toward her and raised his chin.
Actually you’re not.
Mahfeht’syr
Ehru brought his prime stud. He’s kneeling in the far corner away from the females.

Victoria followed the line of his chin. On the very far side she could see the
Mahfeht’syr
in conversation with another
skeldhi
in snug black leathers. Hunched and kneeling against the wall with his head down was an impressively muscled, golden-skinned male clad in heavy boots and a leather kilt. His long pitch-black hair was bound back in a neat tail. A broad-shouldered and muscular
skeldhi
wearing sleeveless studded leather and heavy arm guards lounged up against the wall next to him, with his arms folded. The male’s chain was wrapped around his wrist.

The prime male looked up sharply, raising his nose as though he’d caught scent of something interesting. His face was incredibly handsome, but his expression was utterly feral, as though his humanity had been stripped away, leaving nothing but a hungry beast.

Victoria slowly stepped behind Seht to keep out of the male’s view. There was something unnerving about him.

Seht frowned.
It looks like his stud hasn’t been allowed to mount in a while. That could mean trouble. If even one of these females is ovulating, that
nehkyx
holding his lead is going to have his hands full. I don’t know why
Mahfeht’syr
Ehru thought to leave his male in this state, but I have my suspicions.

Victoria glanced up at Seht.
Is that what’s wrong with him? He needs to get laid?

Seht sighed.
Keep very far away from that
rehkyt.

Yes,
‘Syr! Victoria bit her lip. She had a dark suspicion that this was going to be a very long and harrowing night.

Seht was finally noticed and invited into the gathering. He was the last lord to arrive.

Within minutes, Lord Syrhus gathered everyone into a semblance of a procession and they trooped out into the halls.

Victoria stayed on Seht’s heel. They marched very close to Lord Syrhus’s immediate party near the head of the line.
Mahfeht’syr
Ehru was behind them, and so was his
rehkyt
stud. She utterly refused to look over her shoulder to see. If he spotted her, he spotted her, but she was not about to draw his attention by looking for him.

The long line of processing
skeldhi
reached the private rail station with impressive speed. A long serpentine tram waited, humming, with its doors open, empty of passengers. The guards swarmed the train, sweeping for intruders and incendiary devices. Earcoms crackled as the guards proclaimed it safe. The entire laughing collection of
skeldhi
lords, guards, staff and leashed
rehkyt
boarded.

Seht took a seat near Syrhus’s party, by a tall, slender
skeldhi
garbed in gold robes, and quickly engaged him in conversation.

Victoria dropped to her knee, grateful to be back out of sight. Seht pressed her against his knee and she took that as an invitation to set her chin on his thigh. Seht’s hand absently and soothingly stroked her head. The exertions of the last hour suddenly caught up with her. She sighed and closed her eyes, for just a minute…

Victoria jerked awake. She whipped around to see
Mahfeht’syr
Ehru’s
nehkyx
trainer standing over her. Her first thought was that he was a big ugly bastard at close range. His face was craggy and set in vicious lines. His narrow eyes were bright yellow, and a silver ring pierced his right brow. His white mane was severely braided into a single tail, revealing sharply pointed ears with notches cut in the bottom curve of each. He wasn’t just a trainer; he was
mahfdhyt,
an enforcer, also. Her second thought was to look for the brute male prime he’d been holding. The male was nowhere in sight. She released a breath she hadn’t known she was holding.

Seht raised a cool brow. “Primes are denoted by nature, not size,
Nehkyx
Bhenhu.”

The
nehkyx
bowed deeply. “My pardon,
Deshryt.”
He smiled. “But she was sound asleep.”

Seht smiled. “Because I wanted her asleep,
a’syr.
I caught her as a
seysaht,
for service. That she went prime came as a complete surprise.”

Nehkyx
Bhenhu raised his brow. The silver ring winked in its arch. “Service?”

Seht smiled. “She’s a fully trained pilot. Good, too.”

Victoria warmed under Seht’s praise and set her chin back on his thigh. The
nehkyx
and his stud could go screw themselves.

“What kind of pilot?”

Victoria stilled. Her thoughts raced. How to answer his question without giving everything away…ah!
I’m certified for atmosphere and space flight. I served as a fighter pilot for about half a term before they tapped me for one of the capitol ships.

Seht sent her a small bolt of gratitude. “Fighter and atmosphere flight.”

“I see…”

The train shuddered under them. Breaks squealed.

Seht looked up at
Nehkyx
Bhenhu. “It appears that we have reached our destination. If you will excuse me, I’m with
Atehf
Syrhus’s party.”

Nehkyx
Bhenhu bowed, glancing at Victoria. “Until later,
Deshryt.”

They trooped out of the rail station and into the city proper. Rifle-bearing
mahfdhyt
encircled and guarded the entire procession as they strode for city’s command center, the tallest tower in
Mordred
station. The banquet was being held at the very top.

Victoria looked around with interest. For a mercenary city, it was pretty damned impressive, and clearly designed by the mercenaries that ran it. Architectural styles were thrown together seemingly at random. It looked as though the mercenaries had picked up whole buildings from other worlds, then brought them here to make their city, rather than design it from scratch. Taste was not even a consideration; colors and styles clashed violently. At the same time, everything was of prime quality, and scrupulously clean.

The biosphere that enclosed the city was big enough to have clouds floating in its atmosphere. She wondered if it actually rained on occasion.

Seht glanced at her with a slight smile.
Oh, it rains, right on schedule, too.

Victoria didn’t have time to puzzle over that; they had arrived.

The
skeldhi
guards closed in tight as they trooped through the towering main doors. The party was jostled close together as other visiting parties joined theirs in the march to the lifts that would take them to the top of the tower.

Seht grabbed Victoria by the arm and pulled her close.

Victoria grabbed onto his sleeve in return. She couldn’t see a thing. Everybody towered over her.

The
skeldhi
waited, letting the other guests use the lifts. The guards finally got in and blockaded the entire row of eight.

Lord Syrhus entered a lift with his personal guards, a handful of staff and his pair of golden
seysehn rehkyt.
He gestured for Seht to join him.

Seht sighed.
Damn Syrhus to hell and gone, I think he’s deliberately keeping me under his eye.
He entered the lift and took a place against the lift’s back wall. He pulled Victoria back against him. His lips closed on her throat and his tongue made wet circles.
Remember our first time? When I took you in the lift?

Visceral memories of his hard shafts pumping into her while she was suspended in his arms, and Ravnos’s, stabbed straight to her core. Her nipples abruptly hardened and ached. She raised her chin to give him better access to her throat. Victoria felt his teeth lightly score her throat, and shivered.

His hands slid into the top of her robe and he cupped her breasts.
Your nipples are hard. Are you wet?

Victoria felt a smile curve her lips. She was wet all right. Her core suddenly throbbed with damp heat. Her mind flooded with violent hunger for his cocks jammed into her body. She released a soft moan and pressed back against him, rubbing against the erections she could feel under his robes.

Syrhus turned to look back at them. “What are you…?” He blinked, then grinned. “Didn’t you get enough?”

Seht actually pouted. “It was a long flight,
Atehf,
and it is not safe to distract the pilot.”

Lord Syrhus shook his head. “Can’t you wait until we are at least out of the lift?”

Seht presented him with a lascivious grin. “Do I have to?”

Lord Syrhus raised his brow. “Can you wait until I’m out of the lift?”

Seht abruptly straightened and sighed dramatically. “Very well, then. I will wait.”

Victoria turned to face Seht and rubbed her aching nipples against his chest.

Seht raised a brow. “However, I don’t think she can.”

Lord Syrhus’s
rehkyt
watched Victoria with fascination. One of them looked up at her master and licked her lips.

Lord Syrhus sighed, and stared down at his
rehkyt.
“Don’t get any ideas, at least not yet.” He frowned at Seht. “See what you started?”

The bell rang and the doors opened.

Lord Syrhus sighed, “Finally!” His guards exited, then everyone else trooped out.

Seht leaned over and casually hit the door close button.

“Seht!” Lord Syrhus shouted through the closing door. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Seht grinned. “Taking your suggestion!”

The door closed.