Whimsy (6 page)

 
“You are not thinking reasonably.”
Chaldor
touched the communications link in his
ear. “Number 3 must be returned immediately.”

 
Gaedrian
knew he
spoke with someone in charge of the women’s care. He heaved a great sigh and
sat down on the edge of his bed. He recalled a time when his word had commanded
respect. Now they did nothing but ignore him. His wishes and thoughts on
the matter would be ignored. Still he recalled the look on Dessert’s face.
He could not take her last night and he doubted that he ever could as long as
she resisted. “
Chaldor
, leave it be, I beg
you. She changed her mind.”

 
“She cannot change her mind, just as you…“ He
broke off as he received a message through his link. He swore. “They have been
released.” He touched his link again. “Get her back here. If you have to
turn the ship around, I want her back here now!”

 
“Ship?
Why would she
be on a ship?” 

 
Chaldor
would not
meet his eyes. “It is nothing. Do not concern yourself. I should be going.”

 
Gaedrian’s
spine
stiffened. It was not like
Chaldor
to be
evasive. “Damnation,
Chaldor
, tell me, what is
going on? Is it not bad enough that I am the only ruler in our history to
have to hand over his responsibilities to another due to uncontrollable lust?
Must you and Mother treat me like I am a child as well?”

 
Chaldor
looked
thoroughly ashamed and apprehensive. “I am sorry.” He raked his fingers
through his hair. “We were short on volunteers. Many of the people do not know
that you are still under the influences of
fate
.
They await your choice of mate any day now.”

 
“That does not explain––“

 
“Try to understand. We could not bear for you
to suffer through the night without some relief. So we made a trip to one
of the
Gogath’s
flesh bazaars.”

 
“What?” His friend closed his eyes against his
rage. 
Chaldor
knew how he detested the
Gogath’s
habit of kidnapping for profit. “This is why
she changed her mind. She never volunteered.” His eyes widened. “None of
them did. You let me fuck unwilling women?”

 
“They sounded willing enough.
Including Number 3.”
 

 
“You know it is the damned
pheromones.” He paused. “When you say ‘we’…
?“

 
“I meant your mother and me.”

 
“You took my mother to a flesh bazaar?” The
idea would be laughable if it were not for the fact that he was still furious
with the both of them. “The women must be returned.”

 
“Number 1 has decided to stay with
us. Number 2 is being returned to her home colony.”

 
Gaedrian
gritted his
teeth. He gripped the edge of the mattress until his knuckles whitened in an
effort to keep himself from getting up and punching his good friend in the
face. “She must be returned also.”

 
“Not until…“

 
“You would have me rape her then?” he erupted. “She
was not willing.”

 
“You do not desire her?”

 
“Of course I do.” Just the thought of her had
him hard enough to drive his cock through the wall. 
“But…“

   
“She did not grow wet for you?”

 
Gaedrian
growled.
“Of course she did.”

 
“Then how is it rape?”

 
Gaedrian
shook his
head at his friend’s logic. “She did not wish to be fucked. How many times
can I say it?”

 
“Your welfare comes before her wishes.”

 
“I can just as easily take my frustrations out
on another as on her. She need not suffer.”

 
“I suggest you help her change her
mind. Once your mother finds out, she will be furious.”

 
“
Chaldor
, tell me
you know this is wrong.” He could not have been mistaken about his
friend’s manner for so long.

 
Chaldor
closed his
eyes. “I am sorry. I was concerned about her. I picked her, you
know. Under any other circumstances, I would not countenance any of this.”
He shook his head. “But my first concern is your welfare. Look at it this
way, the sooner you…”

 
“Rape her,”
Gaedrian
supplied roughly.

 
“There is a difference. You can make her
willingly submit.”

 
“
Chaldor
…“

 
“Let us not argue.  The sooner you
satisfy the requirements of tradition,” he said briskly as though he feared
interruption again, “the sooner she can be released.”

 
“Damnation!”
Chaldor
left him alone. He had nothing harder than a pillow at hand to throw. He had
broken every breakable item in his rooms long ago.
Gaedrian
threw a pillow at the door anyway and swore again. That had not been satisfying
at all. He needed to hear something break.
 
 

Chapter Six

 
Whimsy
couldn’t believe they were letting the women go. At the look on
Editha’s
face, she had been sure she was about to begin a
life of servitude.
 
Perhaps
Editha’s
own personal servant, waiting on her hand
and foot.
 
That
would have been torture!

 
Instead
she found herself with
Ama
waiting to board a cruiser
that would take them wherever they wanted to go.
Maga
had elected to stay and explore this colony as she had many others. Whimsy got
the feeling that
Maga
was in search of a home.
 

 
Whimsy
already had a home on C7 and that is where she aimed to return. Though
reactions over this unfortunate episode were likely to vary, she longed for the
comfort of home under their gentle moon.
 

 
Serri
might call off their engagement, she realized. He was
perfectly within his right.
 
Part of her
felt panicky at the thought of him abandoning her. After the blow this would be
to her reputation, her father might not be able to find her another husband.
 
She would have to settle for whatever man
would accept her hand in marriage. Whimsy didn’t like the idea of settling, but
she was sensible and she hoped practical enough to not bemoan what she couldn’t
change.
 

 
As for
her mother and her siblings, as long as she was proven to be pure, they would
not question her.
 
Her father was the
unknown quotient. She would probably not be allowed outside their palace walls
again until her wedding day.
 

 
She felt
a flutter in her lower belly, not an entirely unpleasant sensation. She pressed
a hand to her stomach. She’d been feeling it in increasing degrees all morning.

 
“Are you
nervous about flying?”
Ama
asked.

 
“After the trip here, no.
 
I’m just anxious to get going,” she said with a smile. They had been
waiting for some time now for their pilot. Whimsy couldn’t wait to leave.
 
Whereas their arrival had been secretive and
cloaked in darkness, their departure was in full daylight. People milled about
going in and out of the large doors to the palace that seemed to remain open.
Many people had turned to turn and stare at them. It was the damned gowns,
Whimsy thought. They seemed to have some significance to these people. One look
at them and they bowed their heads deferentially. It was most disconcerting to
realize that people were honoring you for bedding a complete stranger.

 
A shiver
raced up her spine and her nipples peaked. Whimsy cursed mentally. She couldn’t
think of him. Wouldn’t think of his hands on her body, and oh, Myrna, his mouth
on her body.
His hard body on her body.
That
fluttering in her belly increased. Her woman’s center clenched and she felt
moisture between her thighs. What was wrong with her?

 
“Here he
comes,” said their guard, thankfully interrupting her thoughts. They’d sent one
man to guard the two of them this time. He wasn’t even the largest of the guards
she had seen.
 

 
Their
pilot ordered them all to board.
Ama
climbed in
first, Whimsy right after her.
 
Their
guard suddenly clamped onto her wrist, halting her progress. Startled, she
turned to him. He was frowning and touching the piece in his ear, his eyes
locked on her. “It seems there has been a change in plans. You will be
staying.”

 
Whimsy’s
eyes widened with alarm. She’d been found out. Before she could think better of
it, she twisted her arm out of his hold and sprinted away. He might have been
taller, faster, and fitter, but she had the advantage of being smaller. His
broad shoulders would hamper him in this crush. She flitted through the crowds,
dashing between people quickly. She could hear shouts behind her. Whether it
was due to the guard following her or her own rude behavior, she wasn’t sure.

 
“Myrna,
help me,” she panted as she ran. Where was she to go? She didn’t know any of
these people. Her only hope was to hide.
If she could only
escape this one guard…

She glanced behind her. There were so many
people between her and her pursuer that she could not see him.
 

 
She
needed to blend in with the crowd. The stupid gown, though black, was very
different from the garb of the other women here. The material was finer and the
cut was far more revealing.

 
She
whipped back around and immediately slammed into the hard wall of a stranger’s
back. “Sorry,” she muttered even as he was turning to her with a glare. Her
eyes widened.
 
“
Serri
?”
Relief and disbelief flooded her all at
once. A sob tore from her throat and she threw her arms around his neck. “
Serri
, how did you know where to find me?”

 
“Whimsy?”
he said, obviously in shock himself. His arms closed around her loosely.

 
She
sniffed, laughing through her tears. “How long have you been looking for me?”

 
“Whimsy…“

 
“It
doesn’t matter. We’ve got to leave now! There’s someone––“
 

 
“Unhand
her, sir,” said a hard male voice.

 
Whimsy
turned. It was the guard. An infuriated guard but there was still only the
one.
 
Whimsy swallowed. “Let me go,” she
whispered. “We can pay you.”

 
If
anything, that made him angrier. “You will come with me.” He gripped her upper
arm and pulled her to his side.

 
“No!”
Whimsy tried frantically to get free. The guard’s grip tightened. She sensed
that he did not want her to get away again. She’d probably humiliated him
before by escaping. “
Serri
, help me!”

 
Serri’s
handsome brown eyes widened. He was taller than
Whimsy but his height was nothing in comparison with the behemoth men of this
colony. He was clearly alarmed and afraid. “Sir…um, what has…what has she
done?”

 
“That is
none of your concern.”

 
“I
haven’t done anything!
Serri
, please!”
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she was being
dragged away from her only hope of getting off this planet. She was causing a
scene. Everyone within hearing had stopped to watch the spectacle.
 

 
Serri
took a halting step. “Whimsy, perhaps you should go
with him for now?”

 
Her eyes
widened and she dug her heals in to halt the guard’s progress. “No! You don’t
know what they’ll do to me!
Serri
, please, you have
to help me now!”

 
“That is
quite enough,” the guard said. He hefted her onto his shoulder and strode
purposefully toward the palace. Whimsy lifted her head to look back at
Serri
. She reached out to him, but he just stood there
looking confused and embarrassed. A woman with lush red hair came forward to
stand at his side and stare after her.