Who are these men?
Then they collapse next to me in a heap on the bed, breathless and shaking, pulling me between them, and for a second holding me in our usual way, Lorain with his hand between my legs and Rafe with a hand on my throat, over my pulse, but then they remember where we are and what we are doing and reluctantly move away.
"This isournormal," I whisper like I’m swearing.
“Let the galaxy fucking choke on it,” Lorian replies.
And then I realize that they really had had all of this planned out. Lorian never enters me first. It’s always Rafe, as is their custom, because he was born first. And in some ways I feel better about how cold this all felt. And they did it just like they said, to keep our true intimacy private. But it still hurts like brain freeze with ice cream, but a hundred times worse. Tears begin running down my cheeks. My body and mind can’t take any of this.
How can I hate and love them at the same time?
“What we held back, Eve, is the proof of what we are protecting,” Rafe says quietly and kisses my forehead.
Lorian strokes my hair. “You are so strong, my Eve.”
A few minutes later, the door opens abruptly. Jin Kol enters without ceremony, tablet in hand.
"Adequate for a first attempt," he announces. "I noted insufficient vocalization, which I’ve marked against you. The prisoner seemed reserved, but improvement is expected over the next years.”He moves over to inspect me. “On all fours like a good human pet. Show me your holes. I need proof.”
Humiliated, I get on my hands and knees on the bed, and he runs a hand over my vulva.
“Sufficient.” Then he moves around to my mouth. “Open.”
I obey and he says, “You were desperate for that, weren’t you? To fill your human holes with Imperial semen. You swallowed it all.”
Lorian looks like he’s going to punch Jin Kol, but instead says, “You’re mistaken. It’s Reima Two semen. We are Reima Two citizens.”
“Born Imperial. You’re Imperial no matter what your galactic numbers say,” Jin Kol says, and moves away, marking something on his tablet.
I don’t move, wondering if any of us will be strong enough for the punishment, given that the sex almost broke us.
68
THE PRICE OF LOVE, LORIAN
"The punishment chamber is prepared,"Father announces from the doorway. His face is hard. He doesn’t like this. Well, why should he?We are his sons, and he doesn’t like seeing us hurt, and it’s obvious he’s also become partial to Eve.
Eve stands and her legs tremble. There’s no doubt she’s scared of what comes next if the conjugal visit was supposed to be the pleasurable part.
I tell her, “You won’t die,” to reassure her.
She pales even more.
“Sovereign Lorian,” Dr. Veil says from behind my father with a scathing tone, making use of her change of status on planet, “you’re not helping.” Then, looking at Eve, she says, “If you need to be brought back to life, I’m the woman who will do it. I’ve brought everything with me.”
Eve almost falls to the ground then, but I catch her.
Rafe says softly, “Don’t listen to them. You’re not going to die, Eve.Lorian will do no worse than what you did to each other in the shrine at the Spire. Remember this is all for show.”
“Wouldn’t it be a show for my lovers to kill me?” she asks, and none of us has an answer because she’s not wrong.
"The prisoner will walk unassisted," Jin Kol commands. "Maintaining proper form."
I steady Eve as best as I can with Rafe, but neither of us lets go of her until we are sure she’s not going to fall again.
The walk to the punishment chamber is the longest of my life. Each step feels like walking to my own execution, even though, only my heart will be hurt.
Rafe and I used to be punished here, and walking in now brings back some of the memories, but it was never like this. Our punishments were always deserved.
