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  Artruo spoke softly. “You really looked after Kreatha?”

  “Yes and no. She is a strong woman. I just gave all of the prisoners under my care the same respect that I would to anyone else I worked with. They were not there under their own will and some were violent. I kept them calm and helped them talk out their defenses.”

  “And you nulled their powers.”

  “Of course. Several of the ladies there were homicidal and not discriminating about it. Stopping them from using their powers was in my job description.”

  Thrameon whimpered as the machine whirred into life again. “Please! Stop! I beg of you. I am sorry!”

  He had been expressing his regret since he had begun, but the tears running down his face indicated his sincerity.

  Artruo got to his feet. “Do you wish it to stop?”

  Amylia nodded. “It can stop. He is begging. It can stop.”

  Artruo shut the machine down and opened it, letting Thrameon free.

  Thrameon crawled out of the machine and rolled to the floor. He crept forward until he was kneeling in front of her. “For what I have done, I should be castrated. I do not deserve your mercy.”

  She touched his head, lifting his chin with her fingers until he met her gaze. “This isn’t mercy; it is compassion. I would not wish to give another what I felt. Take it as a lesson and try to keep to the same philosophy. Pain does not need to bring more pain; it can bring understanding.” She paused and gave him a cold look. “Or you can just be a dick. It is your choice.”

  Artruo laughed. “You have been given a reprieve, now get up and get dressed.”

  He was still fixated on Amylia’s face. “I may go?”

  “You may go. Put some ice on your groin. It will help.”

  Thrameon blinked and gave her a small smile. “I am at your service whenever you require it.”

  “Fine. Go. Do whatever it is your sister orders you to. I am not quite myself yet.” With a wince, she got to her feet and left the research bay.

  Artruo came with her, and she smiled at his protective attitude. Once he saw Kreatha and her laughing together, his loyalties had aligned with her in seconds.

  “What will you do on Rohul? Do you have plans?”

  She smiled slightly. “I have no idea. My skills are not really commercial, so I will have to find a way to make my living.”

  “Have you considered ruling one of the provinces?”

  She stopped and he paused, turning back with a smile on his broad face.

  “I can’t step into a position of authority on a world I don’t understand. That is arrogant, not to mention stupid. All your female rulers have to have certain genetic traits, do they not?” She took a few steps toward him.

  He waited and shrugged. “There is some leeway in the requirements. You need to be a fertile female, you must have the ability to rule, and of course, you must have a psychic power. I believe that you meet all three of those criteria. Think about it. There is always room for another competent queen.”

  Amylia didn’t ask why her. There were few women who met those criteria on Rohul. It was what made Kreatha so precious.

  The Preskiat had settled on Rohul after centuries of war on their own world. With their original home in ruins, they set out to start again, and this new world had everything they needed. The one problem was that their birthrate had dropped tremendously. Fighting wars for available breeding partners had caused more problems than it solved, so the women got together and elected a queen. The criteria were as Artruo had stated. They had to have power, be fertile and able to lead. If there wasn’t a qualified female, the area simply became a province and a male of a nearby queen’s line was selected to rule. He could be supplanted by one dainty foot in his province.

  “I will consider it.”

  Artruo smiled. “Excellent. If you do decide to take a throne, my brother, Gyrion, is an excellent choice as consort.”

  Her cheeks pinked. “Uh, I will take that under advisement.”

  “Do. I am sure that I can find a few ladies who can vouch for his skills as a lover.”

  Her voice was strangled. “Not necessary.”

  They joined Kreatha for lunch. She looked at them, checked the chronometer and shook her head. “He didn’t even last an hour.”

  Amylia sat next to her friend and poured tea for all three of them. “He doesn’t have the constitution for it.”

  Artruo glanced at her. “And yet you lasted for days.”

  She shrugged. “I knew it wasn’t going to end until I died, so I tried to put that off as long as possible by letting the machine run in full cycles. The longer I could draw out my orgasm, the longer it would leave me alone.”

  Kreatha stared at her. “You had a strategy for your climaxes?”

  “Sure. I didn’t have anything else to concentrate on. I gave in to the machine, and I made it do all the work.”

  She offered Kreatha the first selection on the tray, and when she declined, Amylia dove in.

  Artruo cleared his throat. “I have offered Gyrion to Amylia if she will have him.”

  Kreatha was about to take a sip of tea, and she paused. “That is an excellent idea. It is a neighbouring province, and he is an exceptionally handsome male. It would be a good match. Contact him, and let him know you have sacrificed him on our family honour.”

  Artruo drank his cup of tea, inclined his head and departed.

  “Where is he going?” It was becoming normal to have a meal with two faces covered in tiger stripes on either side of her.

  Kreatha smiled and started to fill her plate. “He is going to tell Gyrion that he is engaged to an alien. I am sure he will be honoured when Artruo explains you. My husband is one of your admirers.”

  She paled but said weakly, “One of? You make it sound like I have a group of men following me around.”

  “Not following you, but they have come to me to ask if you would like a servant until you were completely recovered.”

  Amylia frowned in the middle of a mouthful of noodles. “How many?”

  “Five, seven? I lost count.” Kreatha shrugged casually.

  Amylia covered her face.

  “Why do you do that? I mean, I can still see you.” The rich chuckle was full of friendly mockery.

  “I am composing myself to pretend that I am not embarrassed. I don’t pretend that well.”

  “There is nothing to be embarrassed about. You have everything in you to be a queen. Perhaps, one day, even the queen.”

  “The position you currently hold?”

  “Yes. Dealing with men on a daily basis can wear on one’s nerves. I look forward to a retirement one day surrounded by my children and, hopefully, some grandchildren.”

  “Why did Artruo put his brother forward as my consort without consulting him?”

  “Ah. That. Their mother was one of the great ladies, but she was never able to rise to the rank of queen. When I took Artruo as my consort, Gyrion was raised to nobility, and he is a very good leader, as well as an excellent defender.”

  “Defender?”

  “Well, the men are always trying to jockey for position. A consort today might not be one tomorrow if he lets himself be deposed.”

  Amylia chuckled. “So, they work out regularly?”

  “They keep fit and keep in combat practice. It makes them more desirable as mates. Their criteria are they have to be strong, intelligent and fiercely loyal to their queen.”

  The nearest analogy that Amylia could think of was a bee drone. The drones followed the queen with the hope of mating, but she was in charge.

  If the people of Rohul weren’t so large-cat in nature, she definitely would have gone with the thought of bees. Their stripes were too random for that, though. They were definitely big cats. It was a common enough adaptation in the Imperium and the Alliance, for that matter. Hunters had a better chance of survival.

  They ate lunch and chatted about things tha
t didn’t involve sex with Kreatha’s brother-in-law.

  When Artruo came back, he looked smug. “Amylia, you have a consort.”

  Her head went back into her hands for a moment.

  Kreatha chuckled and patted her shoulder. “Gyrion is a good man. He will be a good consort. He is just a little... intense.”

  Artruo nodded. “That is a good description of him. He is making his way to the keep to meet us and take you to your new domain.”

  Amylia lifted her head. “When?”

  Kreatha smiled. “We disembark in a few hours. This ship will remain in orbit, hidden and waiting for the Imperium to arrive.”

  Artruo nodded. “Do not worry, Gyrion has been made aware of your injuries, and he will wait until you approach him to seal your union.”

  She fought the urge to cover her face again. “Oh. Great. Thank you.”

  Kreatha patted her shoulder again. “It will be fine. You know you can’t go back.”

  It was true. She had been removed by force from Janial and had been compromised by a prisoner. If she returned to the station, she would be in as an inmate, not a guard. Until they ran a Minder through her senses, they wouldn’t be able to prove that she wasn’t culpable in the escape, if they were even interested in finding that out. They might just be content to make an example of her.

  Neither was an outcome that she was interested in examining.

  The shuttle set down in the centre of a clearing, and Kreatha stepped out, breathing deeply of the moist, green-scented air.

  Artruo was next to her, and a gasp and shiver filled the trees.

  When Amylia stepped out, the whisper of the trees stilled. She could sense thousands of minds around her, but they weren’t the kind she was used to. Sentient trees. They were all alive and thinking. Most were examining her as she checked out their mental signatures.

  Kreatha raised her hands. “I have returned, and I have brought another queen to help secure our people.”

  The trees whispered and murmured to themselves before the sweet scent of blossoms filled the air.

  Kreatha turned to her. “They like you.”

  Amylia wouldn’t go that far, but they seemed satisfied with what they found in her mind.

  The shuttle emptied into the clearing, and when they were a safe distance away, it lifted off to return to the ship. Amylia looked at her last chance to return to the Imperium fly away.

  With stiff shoulders, she followed Kreatha and her mate out of the landing area, through the trees and out into the light where the fresh breezes reminded her of what it was like to be off a space station again. Damn, I missed this.

  She followed them to a shallow valley where large beasts were waiting calmly. Artruo helped Kreatha onto the back of one of the large felines, and then, he turned to Amylia.

  “Sorry. It is the only way to the keep if we are going to get there before dark.”

  She glanced back, and the men who had come with them were doubling up on the beasts. “Fine.”

  She followed Kreatha’s example and set her foot in his hands. He lifted her up, and she settled onto the back of the creature, scratching its neck out of reflex. The ears flopped slightly, and she hoped that it was a happy expression, because a moment later, Artruo was up behind Kreatha and their gathering started to move.

  Amylia clutched at the thick fur on the back of her ride and held on. The weird rolling gait loosened up her lower back, but her splayed thighs started to ache in a matter of minutes. She had no idea how long this ride was going to take, but she knew it would be longer than would be comfortable.

  The mystery behind why they needed the beasts was revealed when the path moved steeply upward. Amylia dug her fingers into the fur and held on, her belly flat against the beast beneath her. It went straight up the side of the hill at a nearly ninety-degree angle.

  She glanced up, and Artruo was holding on, protecting Kreatha as they climbed up several hundred feet of steep cliff.

  Amylia held on for dear life, keeping her legs tight to the beast beneath her so she wasn’t giving a show to the men beneath her. The Rohul clothing didn’t come with underwear. If she didn’t have her period, she was feeling the breezes.

  When her beast flattened out and regained the horizontal, she breathed deeply and sat up quickly, fluffing out the fabric to disguise the sweat on her skin. Holding on had taken most of her energy.

  The keep loomed ahead of them, and the beasts took them straight in.

  Cheers were called out as Kreatha waved at her people. A second party of men on beasts approached them, and as Amylia tried to head into the keep, Kreatha turned her beast and smiled. “There is your escort. I will speak with you in a week.”

  The dismissal was obvious; she sat back on her tailbone, and her beast came to a stop as the men from the ship surrounded her and passed her by.

  She waited, and the group of men approaching turned toward her. Apparently, it was time to meet her consort.

  Chapter Five

  Facing down a strange security force was not something that she had considered likely, but here she was, sitting with her thighs and groin screaming at her while she waited to meet her soon-to-be consort.

  The only man riding single dismounted and came toward her. He was dressed comfortably in a soft black sleeveless shirt and matching trousers. Why men thought that dark colours were attractive was something she often thought about, but she guessed it didn’t show stains.

  She sat on the back of her beast and watched him grow larger with every step. He was taller than Artruo by half a head.

  When he got within fifteen feet of her, she called out, “Gyrion, I presume?”

  He paused and bowed low. “Lady Amylia, it is my honour to escort you to your new home.”

  She nodded and turned her beast toward him. “Lead the way.”

  He paused, his gold-green eyes surprised. “It is traditional for a queen to ride in with her consort.”

  “I am not a queen, and you are not yet my consort.” She crossed her arms and leaned forward, kicking her feet slowly.

  Gyrion continued his approach, and his head was even with her ribcage. He was a very tall man.

  He stroked her beast. “He is tired from the climb and you would stress him even more?”

  “What about yours? It has walked from wherever your home is.”

  He chuckled. “It is just over that ridge. This is the eastern edge of Kreatha’s domain and the western edge of yours.”

  She shrugged and flipped her leg over the back of the beast and slid to the ground, staring up at Gyrion. “Fine. We will do things your way.”

  He extended his hand, and she slipped her fingers along his. She took in callouses, the warmth of his hand and the smooth, hard texture of his skin. He closed his fingers around her with complete awareness of his own strength, and she found it reassuring that he knew how far to go.

  “You are safe with me, Lady Amylia.” He smiled, and his slit-pupiled eyes took in her slight form. “Are you an adult by your species standards?”

  She laughed. “I am, and I am nearly the same height as Kreatha, so there is no reason for you to look at me that way.”

  He chuckled and started to lead her to his riding beast. The pace he set was a little too quick for her, and she stumbled. He paused and slowed his pace. “Apologies.”

  “It’s fine. I am just recovering from more than the ride.”

  He slowed his pace. “Yes, Artruo mentioned something to that effect. I thought you had been healed.”

  “The SRT works on nerve reactions. My body is trying to forget what was done, but things still get set off in weird ways.” She smiled tensely.

  She walked with him to the beast, winced as she settled back into position and he mounted behind her. His body was an excellent frame for her, and when he set the beast into motion, she tried to keep straight-backed and businesslike.

  After a few minutes, he whispered in her ear. “M
y brother likes to exaggerate, but how long were you in the machine?”

  “Just over three days.” She raised one hand to her ear, and under the guise of brushing back her hair, she covered it. The memory that rang in her mind was the jeers and cheering wishing her to her death.

  “That is...” His arms closed around her in a nearly invisible hug.

  “Yes. It was.”

  “Yet, you are willing to take a consort?”

  She looked straight ahead as his warm breath stroked her cheek. “You don’t plug into a wall.”

  “No.”

  “You will stop when I say stop.”

  “I will.”

  She chuckled. “You will whether you want to or not. I will show you my talent when it is appropriate, but it is a lot of fun at parties.”

  She thought about it. “Strike that. It tends to end the party.”

  He let out a small sound. “I look forward to seeing a demonstration, at the appropriate time.”

  Gyrion used small movements to coax her into leaning against him. “No one can see you; we are at the head of the pack.”

  “Why are you being kind to me?”

  “You think I should challenge you to be all that you are while you are recovering and exhausted? You don’t think much of me.”

  She sighed and twisted to look at him. “I don’t know you or you me.”

  He smiled. “I will, and you will. Lean back. It is an hour until we are in your domain.”

  She settled against him and felt the small shudder through the wall of his chest. “Why did you give it over so easily?”

  “I didn’t. You will rule the land. I will control it. You have the land, and I have the people.”

  She chuckled. “You may have that backward.”

  She paused. “How many ladies did you have to dismiss because of my arrival?”

  “How did you know?” His words were an embarrassed mutter.

  “Scratch marks on your neck, at the back of your arms. Lover’s marks. Your skin resists bruising, but the clawing is part of the fun.” She chuckled. “How many?”