Chapter Twelve
As soon as Taryn woke from a restless night’s sleep, he made his way through to Lucy’s bedroom. She’d gone to bed ridiculously early and he’d heard her crying more than once in the night. Knowing he had no words of comfort to offer her, he’d left her alone. It seemed to him that from the moment they arrived on Taar-Breck, she’d been dissatisfied, and things had only become worse after her visit with Victoria. Perhaps he’d made a mistake in allowing her to see her friend so soon after their arrival.
Scrubbing a hand over his face, he moved quietly across the room, so he wouldn’t disturb Lucy. He went to the wardrobe and picked out something for her to wear, a pretty floral dress. She’d worn those cute little cat costumes for weeks now and he suspected that she was ready for a change. Laying the dress across the end of the bed so she would see it when she got up, he went to get himself ready for the day ahead. Although he wanted to give his full attention to Lucy, he couldn’t right now. There was a diplomatic mission to prepare for and he had to know exactly what he was dealing with when he met the Bylanthian delegation who claimed to want to broker peace between their people and his.
He dressed quickly and made himself a cup of coffee. As the aroma hit his nostrils, he considered once again whether the drink was the best thing they’d ever imported from Earth. When he took the first sip of the Colombian blend, he decided it probably was. It was crazy that Taar-Breck was now exporting this stuff back to the humans and that only the elite could afford to drink it. There was a lot about Earth he couldn’t quite get his head around. Why they didn’t simply overthrow the corrupt High Council was one of the things he found hardest to grasp.
As he took a seat, he activated a data point and his messages were projected onto the countertop in front of him. He began to scroll through the latest data he’d been sent. It seemed that the investigation team had concluded that the attack on the shuttle he’d been traveling on with Lucy was carried out by a single Bylanthian fighter. Just as Allik had suspected, it was likely to have been launched from a covert base somewhere on Earth’s largely abandoned southern hemisphere. What had once been Australia seemed the likeliest place and that was where investigators were focusing. The reasons behind the attack were still unclear. Taryn would have to raise the issue with the Bylanthians when he met with them.
As he thought about how the issue of the attack might complicate peace talks, the buzzer for the front door sounded. Switching the data point to relay the feed from his security camera, he couldn’t help sighing. Victoria Walton was waiting in the hallway. She looked agitated and he hoped that she wasn’t here to make trouble. If she made amends with Lucy, it might go some way toward helping his little pet to settle. Whatever had passed between the friends had clearly shaken Lucy deeply and had, no doubt, added to the sense of disenchantment she already felt.
He moved to the center of the room and gave the command for the door to open. Victoria walked in and headed straight for him.
“I assume you’re here to apologize to Lucy,” he said. There was a look of contrition in her eyes, but she still held herself with that defiant attitude that had got her into trouble yesterday.
“Well, yes, I do want to apologize to her.” She didn’t appear to be addressing that comment to him. In fact, she was staring right past him. Taryn glanced over his shoulder and saw that Lucy had come into the room, looking fresh and beautiful in the dress he’d picked out for her. Skimming her ankles, the fabric billowed with every step she took. He’d deliberately chosen a dress that she would be comfortable in. There were no corsets or petticoats and he knew that her body was naked beneath the silky fabric. He watched as a hesitant look passed across Lucy’s face and she came to a halt just a few feet into the room. He turned back to Victoria.
“But I also need your help,” she continued.
That caught Taryn by surprise. “Oh?” He looked past her toward the door. “Where’s Allik?”
It was strange that she should have come to a man who was not her mate for assistance especially when Allik was so capable. It was stranger still that she had come to him. He might not be the best at reading what humans were thinking but he knew Victoria disliked him.
“I don’t know. That’s why I’m here.” She looked worried and Taryn had to resist the urge to reach out and put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. It would not be right to touch his friend’s mate in an affectionate manner. “Some men came and took him away.”
“What men?”
“Soldiers, I think. They wore gray uniforms.”
Taryn’s brow crumpled into a frown.
“You’re sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.” Victoria’s tone was impatient. If she was his, he would definitely want to spank some of that attitude out of her. “Allik said they were taking him to see Commander Rossingham.”
Taryn wasn’t sure what was going on, but something didn’t feel right. Masking his unease to avoid causing Victoria alarm, he nodded slowly.
“That would make sense,” he told her. “Gray is the uniform of the military police.”
“Police?” Victoria’s face blanched as she no doubt considered the oppressive tactics of the police back on her home planet. The security forces here were not to be scoffed at either, but at least they followed a strict set of rules designed to ensure fairness. “No wonder he seemed so worried. He spoke as if he didn’t expect to return.”
Taryn frowned at that. Allik was no fool and if he was anxious about something, there was probably good cause.
“What exactly did he say to you?”
“That he had to go and see Commander Rossingham,” Victoria replied, “and that I was to stay put and behave myself.”
Taryn cast a disapproving look at her. Clearly, this woman did not know how to follow a simple instruction. Of course, he couldn’t really fault her for that because, if she hadn’t disobeyed Allik, he wouldn’t know anything was amiss.
“He told me it might be some time before he could contact me,” she continued, “and to never forget that he loves me.”
As a sob escaped the young woman, Taryn had no idea what to do. Luckily, Lucy hurried across the room and put an arm around her shoulder.
“It will be alright,” Lucy assured her as Victoria cried more forcefully.
Taryn stood back and watched in dismay as Victoria appeared to become unraveled. He wondered, for a moment, if she was becoming hysterical over nothing. He didn’t think so. From what he’d seen of her so far, she didn’t seem the type to fall apart unless she was genuinely afraid. It compounded his own anxieties about what was going on with Allik.
“Do you think he’s been sent on some mission?” Victoria asked, seeming to have pulled herself together.
Taryn shook his head. These things were handled according to a strict protocol.
“The command would usually come through me. If the military police are involved, it is something else.”
“But what?” Victoria asked, her distress seeming to flare up once more.
Taryn had no idea what to tell her. The military police tended to focus solely on criminal activity but as far as he was aware, Allik wasn’t in any trouble. In fact, he was still being lauded as a hero for his bravery when captured by the Bylanthians. There was no reason for anything to have happened to him and yet Taryn’s gut was telling him that it had. He looked at the young woman whose eyes were pleading with him to help.
“Can you find out for me?” Victoria asked. “Please?”
The level of desperation in her voice intrigued Taryn as it suggested a deep bond had formed between this young woman and her mate.
“You really care for him?” He couldn’t keep the note of surprise from his voice. She was such a spirited young woman, yet she seemed to have settled into the role of Allik’s mate remarkably quickly. That made it all the more difficult for him to understand why the more docile Lucy was having difficulty reconciling herself to her new life. He looked at Victoria, studying her closely. Realizing just how much it must have pained such an independent woman to come to him for help, he could not ignore her pleas. “Very well, I will make some calls. Wait here with Lucy.”
Turning on his heel, he quickly strode from the room. He wanted to get some answers because, in truth, he was as worried about his friend as Victoria was.
* * *
Lucy watched as Taryn left the room. She’d been surprised when she woke to find a dress lying waiting for her and wondered what had prompted his decision to let her wear something normal for a change. She didn’t want to question it. For the first time in weeks, she felt like herself and there was no way she was going to turn her clothing into an issue. If she did, he might clamp down and make her dress in nothing but the cat costumes forever. As much as she enjoyed playing dress-up once in a while, she hadn’t enjoyed the thought of it being permanent.
“That was easier than I thought it would be,” Victoria said, turning toward her.
“You imagined he would make you jump through hoops?” Lucy asked as she steered Victoria over to one of the comfortable seats and sat down alongside her.
“No, not really,” Victoria said, “but after yesterday, he’d be entitled to give me a hard time.”
“Not when you need his help. He’s too good a man to do that.”
Lucy’s lips pursed tightly as she thought about the truth of what she’d just said. Taryn was a good man. In many ways, he was exactly the type of man she could grow to truly love, so why was there doubt screaming through her mind about her future with him?
“I am sorry about the way I spoke to you yesterday,” Victoria said, pulling Lucy from her thoughts.
“It’s okay. I imagine it was a shock for you to see me like that.”
Victoria shrugged her shoulders in an unconvincing show of nonchalance. “I was worried about you, that’s all. I didn’t think you’d be happy as a pet. You never seemed interested in anything like that.”
“And you told me all your sexual fantasies?” Lucy asked.
“No, but if you really want to know, I do enjoy being tied up,” Victoria replied, leaning closer to her and lowering her voice to a whisper. “The occasional spanking can be fun, and I can’t say I’m totally averse to a butt plug every now and then.”
Lucy couldn’t help smiling at her friend’s candor. The last thing she’d imagined was that Victoria would have submissive tendencies. It made her feel a bit better about the fact that she enjoyed being subject to the demands of a dominant male herself.
“So, we’re not so different after all,” Lucy mused, “but tell me, do you ever want to take a plug and just shove it up Allik’s ass?”
For a moment, Victoria looked shocked and Lucy wondered whether she’d been too candid. Then her friend threw her head back and laughed.
“All the time,” Victoria said. “Especially when he gives me that disapproving look. You know, the one where the lips curl and the eyebrows go up.”
“Oh, yes, I’ve seen that look,” Lucy said with a grin. That particular expression seemed to be permanently fixed to Taryn’s face. “You know, sometimes I wonder what Taryn would look like crawling around with a tail dangling from his backside.”
It wasn’t something that would ever happen, but Lucy couldn’t help wishing she could show him how it felt once in a while.
“Like a grumpy lion,” Victoria responded, forming her face into a grimace that was supposed to emulate Taryn. Both women succumbed to a fit of giggles and, for a moment, it felt like old times. They were just two friends, enjoying each other’s company and none of the stuff that had happened to them both in the last few weeks mattered. The mood instantly turned serious as Taryn came back into the room.
Immediately, Victoria got to her feet. The look on Taryn’s face was grim and Lucy felt her stomach lurch with fear. She sensed straight away that whatever news he bore, it wasn’t good.
“What’s happened?” Victoria asked.
“Allik has been arrested.” Taryn’s tone was grave. “He has been charged with murder, kidnap, and theft.”
“What?” Victoria shrieked, her shock apparent. “When? When do they say he did those things?”
Lucy watched as expressions of shock, horror, and then disbelief formed on Victoria’s face before her eyes filled with tears and she began to cry. She looked to Taryn for guidance, but he was staring so intently at Victoria, he didn’t notice her trying to make eye contact.
The stunned silence that had fallen was broken suddenly by a bleeping sound from another room, a signal that there was a transmission coming in. Taryn went to answer it and Lucy pulled Victoria back down onto the seat next to her. She held her friend close and let her sob. After a few minutes, Victoria sat up straight and wiped the tears from her eyes, clear resolve to hold herself together shining through.
“I’ve hardly ever seen you cry,” Lucy remarked.
In fact, she could not recall a single occasion when Victoria had allowed sadness to get the better of her. She’d shown anger often enough when they were out of sight of their guardians, but never sorrow. Allowing herself to show weakness was an indication, Lucy supposed, of just how much Victoria loved Allik. Wondering whether she could ever feel that way about Taryn, Lucy reached up and tenderly brushed back a few stray hairs from Victoria’s face.
“I try not to make a habit of it.” Victoria got to her feet and began to pace. “What the hell am I going to do?”
Lucy had no idea how to answer that but, fortunately, she didn’t have to.
“You are going to stay right here,” Taryn said as he came back into the room. “I have received word from Allik. I am to protect you until more permanent arrangements can be made.”
“More permanent arrangements?” Victoria parroted back at him. “What are you talking about?”
Lucy saw a brief flicker of anxiety on Taryn’s face before he brought that irritating neutral expression he generally wore back down. She had never seen him looking anything other than one hundred percent composed, so she knew that something awful was going on.
“Allik has pled guilty on all charges. They are deliberating punishment as we speak.”
A shocked gasp escaped Lucy. She’d had her doubts about Allik, but she couldn’t believe he was a murderer. She looked at Victoria who was shaking her head from side to side.
“No, no, no, this is not happening,” her friend protested as she marched over to Taryn. In a show of defiant anger that Lucy would never have the guts to replicate, Victoria raised her chin and looked him straight in the eye. “I need to see him. Where are they holding him?”
“At the Citadel,” Taryn replied, “but you are going nowhere. I am your protector now and I will not let you leave.”
“I am going whether you like it or not,” Victoria said as Lucy looked on with great interest to see how Taryn would respond to the clear challenge to his authority. “I am the one who’s guilty, not him, and I will not allow him to throw himself on his sword for me.”
Victoria’s impassioned argument startled Lucy. She had no idea what she meant when she proclaimed herself to be the guilty one but surely she wasn’t admitting to murder? Lucy looked at Taryn to see what his reaction was. First his brow furrowed and then his expression softened. The compassionate way he looked at Victoria made Lucy feel unaccountably jealous.
“He wants to protect you,” Taryn said. “He must fear what will happen if the High Council demands your return.”
That startled Lucy. Would the Taar-Breckians send Victoria back to Earth if their corrupt government insisted upon it? Would she be in danger of being sent back? Although she was having some problems adjusting to her new life, that was the last thing she wanted. The High Council would treat any woman returning after being with a Taar-Breckian warrior very harshly. If she was lucky, she would be sent to a brothel or breeding facility. If not, well, that didn’t bear thinking about. Lucy looked to Victoria to see if she, too, was afraid. Her friend showed no sign of fear, only determination to help her mate.
“I am going to him, Taryn,” Victoria insisted. “You have to let me go.”
“He will not like it,” Taryn replied. “I sent word to let him know that you were here and that I would protect you.”
Victoria looked displeased at that. “So, tell him I overpowered you.”
Taryn raised an amused brow and, if the situation had not been so serious, Lucy might have laughed out loud. The very idea that Victoria, feisty as she was, could overcome such a large Taar-Breckian male was totally absurd. Yet, Victoria stood her ground.
“Okay, so tell him…” Her tone softened. “I don’t know… Look, Taryn, I have to try to help him. He’s your friend too.”
The desperation in Victoria’s voice pulled at her heartstrings but Taryn still didn’t look as though he was about to relent. Lucy walked to Victoria’s side and patted her arm reassuringly. She knew exactly what she needed to do to win Taryn over. Taking a deep breath, she dropped to her knees. She looked up at Taryn and he smiled down approvingly at her as though he knew how much it cost her to debase herself in this way in front of the other woman.
“Please help my friend, Master,” Lucy said. Her eyes pleaded with him to give in. If he didn’t, she really had no idea what to do next.
Taryn sighed and looked from Lucy to Victoria and back again.
“Very well,” Taryn said, “but there’s not a great deal of time. If they choose to send him to Earth, he will be taken from the Citadel immediately.”
“I could take the cruiser,” Victoria said, “but I don’t have access to the docking bay.”
Lucy’s heart sank, and she looked to Taryn to see what he would do to help her. He rolled his eyes in what appeared to be resignation rather than impatience.
“I cannot take you there,” Taryn said.
Victoria opened her mouth to speak but Taryn held his hand up. For once, Victoria actually paid attention to the instruction to be quiet and pressed her lips together.
“But,” Taryn continued, “I will allow you to take my cruiser.”
“You will?” Victoria’s incredulous tone matched the disbelief that Lucy was feeling. It seemed inconceivable to her that Taryn would allow such a thing.
“Allik has boasted of your driving skills, among other things.” There was clear admiration in Taryn’s voice and Lucy could not believe how impressed he sounded. It was confusing that he should show such approval for Victoria’s independent spirit when he treated Lucy as though she was incapable of doing anything for herself.
“Thank you, Taryn. I will never forget this.” Victoria looked so relieved, Lucy thought she might start crying again.
Taryn shook his head despairingly and began to walk toward the door. At least, Lucy thought, he wasn’t any better at handling Victoria’s emotions than he was hers.
“Well, come on then, woman, let me show you to the vehicle.” Taryn’s voice sounded stern but there was an underlying note of amusement in it.
Lucy got to her feet and accepted a hug from Victoria who then ran to the room to catch up with Taryn. She sank down into a chair, feeling at a complete loss. Taryn had such obvious respect for Victoria and that bothered her more than she wanted to admit.
* * *
As Taryn returned to the apartment after showing Victoria how to program the cruiser’s navigation system to take her to the Citadel, he couldn’t help but smile. Allik’s mate had brushed off his advice on handling the vehicle, assuring him that she knew what she was doing. She was a formidable young woman and, despite her outspoken manner, he found he really quite liked her. The dedication she displayed for Allik was remarkable. If it came down to it, she was willing to put her own life on the line to help him. Taryn hadn’t known before now that human females were capable of such loyalty. He wondered what Lucy would do in a similar situation. He couldn’t imagine her storming into Allik’s home and cajoling him until he agreed to help her. Lucy could barely look Allik in the eye, let alone speak to him.
When he walked into the apartment, his heart sank. Lucy was curled up on a chair by the window. She was staring out over the city and the sadness emanating from her was palpable. He wasn’t sure if she felt sorrow for what her friend was going through or if it was something else.
“They will be alright,” he said as he walked up and stood next to her. “Victoria seems like a very determined young woman. I think she may actually save Allik from himself.”
“You admire her.” Lucy’s voice was quiet.
Taryn wasn’t sure, but he got the feeling her words were a trap. He sensed that she was on the verge of tears, but he didn’t understand why. Did she think that he was attracted to her friend? Before he could respond, to tell her that was ridiculous, Lucy jumped up from her seat and smiled broadly. The one-hundred-and-eighty-degree change in her mood startled him.
“Take me out today,” she said. “I’ve been cooped up in here for days and I’d love to see something of your beautiful planet.”
Taryn wanted to tell her no. He still had a lot of preparation to do for his diplomatic mission and he wanted to brief her on how she should conduct herself in front of the Bylanthians they were to meet. He would require her to demonstrate total obedience, surpassing the levels of compliance she was used to if he wanted to make the right impression. The Bylanthians were a more savage race than the Taar-Breckians and they would expect a forceful show of dominance over his mate from Taryn.
As he mulled it over, the smile on Lucy’s hopeful face wavered and he knew he could not refuse her. Things were strained between them. If he was honest with himself, they had been from the very beginning. She was not making him as happy as he’d hoped she would and he knew that she was not content either. Yet, he was certain there was still something between them that they could build on. Taking her out of the apartment and spending the day with her out in the open would give him the chance to start to put things right.
“Very well,” he agreed. “Go and get ready while I make a couple of quick calls.”
Lucy let out a squeal of delight and hurried off to the bedroom. He watched her go before moving over to his work space. As he sat in front of the communications device, he discovered it was still connected. That was odd. He was sure he’d terminated the call after speaking to his contact in the military police about Allik. He swiped a finger over the controls to cut off the call and pushed a button to check the information. Someone had contacted the private residence at the Citadel less than five minutes ago. Obviously, it wasn’t him since he’d been with Victoria. That meant Lucy had used the device and it was clear that the person she’d contacted was Caroline Rossingham. The question was, what exactly had they spoken about and why had Lucy not mentioned it when he came in? His little pet was up to something and he was going to find out what it was, one way or another.