Chapter 8
Nojan pressed his fingers to his lips and tried to stay still in the middle of the crowd. To draw attention to himself would be ignorant, and yet to watch the beautiful creature before him be humiliated, beaten, and sentenced to sexual servitude was too much.
Every muscle in his body locked into place as he tried to find his center. Rushing ahead and killing the men standing around her would only bring an army to his door and turn the galaxy against him. As much as his heart ached in his chest for her plight, he had to be smart, as any diplomat would be. Death wouldn’t do them any favors as the bastard king wasn’t a respecter of people at all. It would consume the girl and him in one fell swoop. Then where would they be?
She had to be the woman he’d come from Vartik to find, and that alone would gain him a bit of grace with his father should the shit hit the fan.
He closed his eyes and tried to dial into her thoughts. The minute he did, he wished he hadn’t. The pain inside of her was almost overwhelming. It danced through her mind in varying waves, but each seemed to pull her toward a numbness that was deadening, scary.
Darkness. She was cloaked in a thick darkness, and the only sound was the beating of her heart. A soft fluttering could be heard as he honed in further on her thoughts. They were of him. Of his beauty and his willingness to see beyond her ugliness.
“Ugly?” He opened his eyes and pressed his hand to his chest. It was her. The oracle he needed to accompany him back to Vartik. He had no doubt. The very fact that the beautiful creature on her face before the king believed herself to be vile was a testament to what Kara had shared with him.
His heart swelled in his chest as she was pulled to her feet and began circling the crowd, screaming with desperation for help. What would have happened should he not have been there? Would someone else have stepped up?
Nojan forced himself to stay in place as the guard moved her around the king and left the ugly bastard smiling at the crowd.
“Let this be a stark warning. I am the king of this land and you are foreigners. If you think to come against me, even in the slightest of offenses, I will cut you down and construct a personal hell just for you to enjoy. No one is greater than me. Not you, nor my people, nor my family, nor the gods. Not even their precious oracle. No one.” He straightened his shoulders and turned to walk back toward the castle.
“Fuck,” Nojan murmured and moved toward the king as guards flanked either side of him. He worked through all he could remember about his studies on the Vanfians, which was vast.
“State your business, human,” one of the guards barked.
The king stopped and turned, forcing Nojan and the guards to stop as well.
“Of course. My father is a linen dealer on Territh. He spoke quite highly of the king and his particular taste for the most exquisite cloth available.” Nojan glanced toward the guards and shrugged. “I mean no harm. I just wanted to present a gift in hopes of securing future business should his majesty enjoy the texture and feel of what I have to offer.”
“I’m right here, boy. Speak freely.” Rantel lifted his furry eyebrow and motioned for Nojan to step closer. “What have you brought for me? Let me see it.”
Nojan knelt and pulled out a long red strand of satin and another of silk from his bag. He laid them across his open palms and extended his hands up, giving the king honor that he didn’t at all deserve. The bastard was addicted to finer things, but even more so to undue respect. To gain undeserved worship was like a drug to his kind.
“Hmm, I like them.” Rantel pulled both pieces of fabric from Nojan’s hands and rubbed them along his face. “Stand. I’ll speak with you about more of this same material tomorrow.”
“My ship leaves today, sire. I would greatly like to speak to you of a trade. Ten yards of each?”
“What amount are you pricing these fabrics for someone like me? Be reasonable, and remember, I’m in the mood to see blood spilled.”
Nojan chuckled and stood to his full height. “I want the girl.”
“The girl?” The king glanced behind him. “My daughter? Excellent. Take her. She stays on my last nerve as it were.”
“No. The oracle. I want her for my brother’s harem. He is a ruler on Territh and will be taking a wife soon. He needs a few unbroken whores for concubines. It’s more than fair that you give me her and a thousand rubbals, but I only ask for the girl.”
“No. Her pain is my pleasure.” The king narrowed his eyes. “You have a million women like her on Territh. Why her?”
“She’s already trained, sire. I saw the way she stayed down when you approached. She lay prostrate on the ground and worshiped you though she knew her death was inevitable. And then she burst up like a firecracker. I need her as a gift to my brother. Please do not deny me.” Nojan bowed low again and averted his eyes up toward the king. It would most likely leave him drained, but he was too close not to push the final lap and hypnotize the older man.
He forced his power onto the king and stood back up. “Let me have the girl and I’ll have the linens delivered tonight.”
Weariness rolled over him as the king nodded. “She is yours.”
“But sire—” one of the guards began.
“Get her. Now. Take her to the trader’s ship and get my linens in return.” The king turned his attention back on Nojan and nodded. “Good doing business with you. Come back any time.”
“I shall.” Nojan slipped his hands into his pockets and tried to dismiss the feeling that he was going to pass out any minute.
“Go back to your ship, trader. Tell us the number on the side of the aircraft and we’ll have the girl to you shortly. She’s getting a beating for murdering one of our guards.”
“Fine. It’s CA-123, but ensure that you don’t hurt her too badly and that you don’t devirginize her. That is the gift I’m looking for.” He narrowed his eyes and tried to keep his cool at the thought of someone hurting her. “What is her name?”
“Ask her yourself.” The guard turned. “We’ll deliver the whore within the hour. No sooner.”
“Fine. Make sure of that.” Nojan turned and stumbled back to his ship, barely making it onboard before his legs gave out underneath him. He was the strongest of his brothers in terms of utilizing his gifts and keeping his strength in check, but having to use it twice in a matter of hours was too much for any of them, him included.
He stretched out in the chair nearest the door and tried to stifle the fear that rushed through him. Surely, they wouldn’t destroy her. They were animals, beasts with no compassion and a hunger for world dominance, but the king’s directives would be followed.
Right?
