Royal Torment (Stand Alone Tales Book 10)

  Running into a male entering rut gives her the opportunity to save her friends from punishment at the hands of the emperor. It isn’t really a hardship.

  Tydella is the imperial princess. The only imperial princess. Her father had one daughter by her mother and refused to have any other children. He is a man of his word.

  Tydella travels with ambassadorial duties and spends her birthday on a space station with her guard crew. She learns something that endangers her travelling family and decides to get into trouble to distract her parents from what her guards have been up to.

  She heads out of the station on her own for a few days of unrestricted solitude and runs into one of her father’s people while clearing customs. He’s tall, he’s handsome, he’s stripey, and is going into rut. She can smell it. Their eyes meet, but she turns and takes off, waiting for a large ship to stick to in order to run through a gate without registering her location. She just happens to pick his ship.

  Ador is fascinated by the sprightly woman with flashing eyes and magnificent attributes. He is disappointed that she slipped away from him at the station and beyond fascinated when he catches her magnetized to his ship. He offers her a choice and is stunned when she agrees to help him work off his rut.

  She gets a vacation, he gets a partner, what could possibly complicate things?

  The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Royal Torment

  Copyright © 2020 by Viola Grace

  ISBN: 978-1-989892-27-5

  ©Cover art by Angela Waters

  All rights reserved. With the exception of review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the express permission of the publisher.

  Royal Torment

  Published by Viola Grace

  Look for me online at violagrace.com, Sea to Sky Books, Amazon, Smashwords, Kobo, B&N, and other eBook sellers.

  Royal Torment

  Stand-Alone Tales Book 10

  By

  Viola Grace

  Chapter One

  Tydella smiled graciously and walked down the aisle, her heavy and bead-encrusted robes moved stiffly. She waved at the folk who had turned out for her cousin’s wedding and made her way to the private chambers that had been set aside for her. She reached up, pulled the face-framing coronet away, and twirled it on her finger.

  Her eight guards were waiting for her.

  She looked at Tomath. “So, where are we going to now?”

  “Your trip to Zathura Station has been granted for your birthday celebrations. We will be on our way to the shuttle as soon as you change into your travel robes.”

  Tydella grimaced. “What is the problem if people see me?”

  Yaro snorted. “If people see you, they will make our work harder. You are a very attractive female, and you are one of the wealthiest for four star systems.”

  She went behind the changing screen; that was all she was allowed since she had become an adult. Her lady’s maid no longer travelled with her, and that duty fell to her guards when it was necessary.

  “It was a very pretty wedding. Are they my third cousins?”

  Kimal growled. “First cousin once removed. They are honoured that you attended.”

  Tydella snorted. “I am sure.” She reached behind her and unclasped the beaded dress that was hanging onto her breasts with painful tenacity. The moment it was free, it fell to the floor.

  She stripped and changed into something lighter in weight that didn’t have a king’s ransom in gems on it. She had the dress over one arm with the coordinating underwear, and Kimal’s mate Abra took it from her. “Got it, my lady.”

  Abra tucked the undergarments in the cleaner on the wall, and then, she folded the bejewelled gown into the case that was designed to contain it with a genetic lock. They stayed until the cleaning cycle was done, and then, when her undergarments were packed away, Kimal and Abra took the clothing cases, and the other six fell into place around her. Her personal parade took her from the manor house, where her cousin’s nuptials were still going on, to an in-atmosphere shuttle that delivered her back to the port where her short-range shuttle was waiting.

  Tydella let herself be shunted from shuttle to shuttle by her guards. They were all royal guards who had taken a mate, and all four of the couples were happy to run escort for her. They could live together, work together, and enjoy life together.

  Tydella was happy for them, but occasionally, she missed out on having a partner herself. Being her father’s only daughter came with issues. She was exceedingly wealthy, but she would not be an heir unless she married and produced a son. Then, her husband would be placed into a position of guidance over both her and her progeny. What fun. So, either she led a freewheeling life among the stars, or she settled down with some random royal dude to provide her father with an heir. So far, the stars had more allure than a wedding.

  The moment that they were back on her ship, she headed to the gym to stretch out and work off the tension of all the hormones that were flying around her vessel. The musk that the mated pairs were putting out was enough to make her nervous. It did remind her of how her father had probably seduced her mother. A male Kiidar in rut was a hard thing for a compatible female to ignore. Weddings tended to setoff her guards, and her father sent her to a lot of weddings. The end was always the same. They headed for private time, and she hit the gym. She was guessing that her father was trying to coax her into a rash decision at one of the events. That wasn’t going to happen.

  Tydella started doing pull-ups and checked her form in the mirror. She didn’t look like her father’s daughter. It was the jewels and wealth that smoothed her path. She didn’t have his stripes, his ruff, or his presence. She was stuck looking human, despite her strength, speed, and cunning. She looked like her mother.

  She was going to need cunning for the next excursion she had planned. It was her birthday, after all.

  Entering the lounge with Fallo and Merk Kiidar was fun. Her guards kept her so surrounded that folk didn’t realize she was there. She had a reservation for one of the private but transparent rooms. They could have fun in a secure environment, but folks could watch.

  Tydella knew what she wanted to do, and it was singing and drinking. It was a fine family tradition... that she had just started.

  At first, her guards were against the public display, but after Tydella started singing and lulling them into having a fun time, they followed her lead. No one got completely inebriated, but it was fun getting close.

  They had the private room for two days. It had full facilities and only one entrance or exit. That little fact made her guards happy.

  There were cameras in the ceiling, but they weren’t lit during the majority of the party. For the price she had paid for the private room, watching them was going to cost a quarter of her dowry, and that was a hefty sum.

  Abra sat next to her as the others played video games and sparred. The same kind of thing they would do on the ship but with slightly more aggressive gravity. “So, why are we really here?”

  Tydella chuckled. “Ah, you saw through my clever ruse, huh? I just wanted some downtime before I make a break for it.”

  Abra sighed. “We are trying to keep you safe.”

  “I know. But I am a little tired of being safe. I just want to be normal. I don’t look like my father’s daughter, so why should I be coddled like it?”

  “He loves you very much. He wants you protecte
d.”

  Tydella snorted. “And then, he hangs a dowry on me that is larger than the gross domestic product of three continents. Yeah, I am like a walking box of bait.”

  Abra patted her shoulder. “You are a kind and cheerful box of bait. If you let any of the suitors close enough, you would probably have a mate in no time.”

  Tydella covered her face and lay back on the couch. She mumbled. “I don’t just want to have an heir so that my father can continue his line. It was his fault; I am a girl anyway.”

  Abra patted her leg. “True, and yet he never took a wife. He raised you with full honours, and you have grown up into an elegant and intelligent woman. He just wants you to be happy.”

  Tydella sat up on her elbows. “Don’t you want to raise your own family? You and Kimal must be tired of chasing me around and hauling me from wedding to wedding where the security is so shabby that I have to be hustled in and out with no chance for socializing.”

  Abra grimaced. “It would be nice to settle down and have a family, but there are few worlds with Kiidar societies. I would want to return home, but we are pledged to your service.”

  “Right. So, I am making decisions for you eight and any little ones that you plan on having.”

  Abra looked embarrassed. “Yeah. That.”

  Tydella stared at Abra and looked over to the others. “You and... fuck. You are all pregnant?”

  “Yes, but don’t worry. We are willing to retire in disgrace.”

  Tydella stared at her, and then, she nodded. “Right. Give me four days.”

  Abra blinked. “What?”

  “I will find a guy myself, but I need four days to do it.” She grimaced. “And I can’t have an honour guard while I do it.”

  “We can’t do that.”

  “I know you can’t. That is why I am asking for this as my twenty-fifth birthday present. You can remain with the ship for the four days that it will take this station to overhaul the engine, and I will go creeping around to find myself a proper mate.”

  Abra laughed. “You make it sound so ladylike.”

  “Well, if you four are gonna have little ones, it is the least I can do for you.” She groaned. “Will you tell them that I want four days?”

  “Um, yes, but how do you think you are going to get out of here? Even Kimal will take a while to convince.”

  “Well, I am going to the ladies’ room. You can just enjoy the party.” She smiled.

  “Tydella, what are you going to do?”

  She leaned over and kissed Abra on the cheek. “Something I will probably regret.”

  She got to her feet and headed to the restroom, closing the door and then going to the back wall where she pressed tiles and slid into a secret hallway.

  She jogged through the hall and came out near the entrance of the lounge before she made a beeline for the slip that her personal shuttle had been parked in. Money smoothed so many things, and she wasn’t averse to using it when she needed to.

  Tydella was clearing customs when she felt a presence behind her. There was something unmistakable about a Kiidar male who was approaching rut. She swallowed slowly and finished her business, stepping to one side so that she could put everything back in her pouch.

  The male didn’t move. She turned her head and looked up at him and was slightly surprised. She hadn’t seen many Rasha Kiidar before. His skin was covered with a soft, white velvet interspersed with stripes. His hair was a complementary jet black. She stared into his bright blue eyes and swallowed.

  “Hello.” She inclined her head.

  He smiled slowly, and his pupils dilated as he looked her over from head to toe. “Hello. Travelling today?”

  “Ideally. Yes.”

  He made a small sound in his throat that made her shiver. “Paid passage?”

  “Ah, no. I am travelling on my own.”

  He didn’t even take a step, just angled his body toward hers. “May I delay your departure?”

  She fought her shiver and managed to contain it. Two sentences and she was ready to screw him against a bulkhead. No wonder her mother didn’t have a chance. “I am afraid not.”

  She nodded slightly. “Goodbye.” She spun and headed down to her slip to do pre-flight checks and smack herself in the head for ignoring the perfect opportunity. Her father was born a Fallo Kiidar—rich orange hair and black markings. His shoulders were broad and boxy, his body built for power. The Rasha, with their pale fur, were rare, tall, elegant, and lazy in their motions, which belied the deadly speed they were capable of.

  Tydella swallowed and stopped her brain from imagining the differences in his body while shirtless or wearing even less. How far did the stripes go?

  She mentally doused herself with water and got her ship ready for departure. There was a huge ship that was on its way out, and she was planning on hitching a ride.

  She would think about that Kiidar wistfully when she had time, silence, and privacy. Lube might be on the agenda as well.

  * * * *

  Ador watched the small sprite of a woman slip out of his range. She had the most amazing scent, and now that he could detect it, he understood why so many of the station’s females had been making themselves available to him. He grimaced. He was entering rut, and that meant his mother was going to open that ridiculous competition for a true princess. No woman had yet satisfied his mother’s requirements, and he was wondering if she was making things difficult on purpose.

  Chapter Two

  Tydella took her exit trajectory, and she looped around to wait in the sensor shadow of the station for the large vessel to get underway toward the gate. It took two hours, but it started moving, and she flipped on her blurring effect and moved to attach herself to what she hoped was a blind spot on the vessel.

  The ship continued its trajectory through the gate, and she smiled. She was just going to separate on the other side of the gate and go on her merry way.

  * * * *

  “Prince, we have a gate-tick.”

  The captain’s voice came through the speakers in his office. Ador looked up and sighed, “Put it on display.”

  The small, sleek ship was of Kiidar design. It was in immaculate shape and looked very fast.

  “Bring the tick with us; we can ransom their ship back to them for the increased price of passage and labour.” He chuckled.

  “Yes, Your Highness.” The captain returned to his duties, and they glided toward the gate.

  Ador smiled as they travelled through the gate, and the tiny vessel remained in place until they exited the other side. The ship twisted against the hull, but it was stuck fast. That spot was a popular one for ships of that size, so precautions had been taken. That little vessel was going all the way home.

  * * * *

  Tydella was trying not to panic, but it was hard to fight that instinct. She was caught. “Fuck!”

  She looked up the signature of the vessel and called it. She waited.

  “Hitchhiking vessel, you are being held for ransom. Twice the gate fees.” The low, rumbling voice was familiar.

  She swallowed, exhaled, and said, “Fine. Give me the number and let me get my ass out of here. I apologize for the intrusion onto your hull, but I am trying to avoid someone, and it was the easiest way to get anywhere else.”

  The video link flared up, and she was staring at the Rasha Kiidar from customs. “Oh, fuck.”

  He smiled slowly. “I think I can come up with something easier than a financial transaction.”

  She blinked. “Financial is pretty easy.”

  “But far less fun. You apparently need to hide from someone, and I have an offer to make you. Let’s adjourn to a secure channel.”

  She grimaced but opened the locked channel when he made contact.

  Tydella smiled. “You mentioned an offer?”

  “How much do you know about Kiidars?”

  She shrugged. “A bit.”

  He huffed. “Do you
know about rut?”

  She cocked her head. “I have heard of it.”

  “Well, I am about to begin my cycle, and I am not a fan of the choices my mother would make for me if she knew that it was occurring.”

  “You don’t know me. How do you know I am a better choice?”

  He smiled, and the smile was slow and bizarrely seductive. “Your scent alone was enough to get me hard. You are the best candidate I have come across, and I have been looking.”

  She cocked her head. “How long does it last?”

  He shrugged. “Two days to ten. No one knows.”

  “I have to leave in four. Non-negotiable, and I can’t be recorded on camera or any other device. I don’t want a record of my time with you.”

  He narrowed his eyes, and then, he brightened. “Agreed. So, you will be my lover for the next few days?”

  “Sure. I need to get some practice in anyway.” She pressed her thighs together; the heat was rippling through her as she tried to think of what she was embarking on.

  “Excellent. When we have entered the atmosphere, you will be given coordinates, and I will meet you there.”

  She nodded. “Wait. What is your name?”

  He smiled. “Ador. What is yours?”

  She thought of a dozen options and opted for something she would answer to. “Tydella.”

  He smiled. “I look forward to our physical introduction, Tydella.”

  She nodded and disconnected the call. A call to her father and she would be out from under the crown prince in a matter of minutes. But, if she did that, she would have to explain how she ditched her security detail... again. Spending a few days with the Rasha Kiidar was a very enticing option. If she was gone too long, her detail would contact her father for her. So, it seemed like she was going to follow in her mother’s footsteps, straight to a mattress.