The Breaker's Concubine (21 page)

“Where is she?” he repeated and struggled to sit up. He would be damned if he faced his

enemy lying on his back. The now unfamiliar feeling of pants tightening around his waist had

him looking down. While he was out, someone had dressed him in dark trousers and an ill-

fitting, deep blue shirt. A small knife was strapped to his waist, and he checked the edge. Nice

and sharp. Black leather boots adorned his feet, and then he realized the most shocking thing of

all: his collar was gone.

Rolling his neck, he relished the feeling of being free. He reassessed the situation and

noted how Lord Mithrik studied him, and Bolin took a respectful step back from the mature

politician. Those two clearly knew one another. Khilam hovered nearby, obviously wanting to

stand closer to Devnar but unsure of his welcome.

Lord Mithrik opened his hands and said in a grand voice, “Prince Devnar, on behalf of the

empress, I—”

He pushed himself to his feet and almost fell flat on his face. He clenched his jaw and

forced his jittering knees to lock. His muscles still twitched from the electrical shock they had

given him to knock him out. “Where is she?”

“She is safe,” Lord Mithrik snapped, and his perfect lips curled back in a sneer. “If you’re

half as smart as your men seem to think, you will shut up and listen to me.”

Bolin slid next to Devnar and casually helped support his weight. “Give him a chance to

explain,” Bolin whispered into his ear.

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Devnar closed his eyes and ran his hand over the spot where the collar used to be.

Strangely enough, he missed that hunk of metal. He had come to associate it with Melania and as

a sign of belonging to her. Perhaps if the Goddess was good to him, he would be able to wear it

for fun while they were in bed together. The reassuring glow of Melania’s soul in his heart kept

him from losing his mind. She was still alive and not too far away.

He turned his entire focus on the dangerous Lord Mithrik and let him see the fury in his

eyes. The older man swallowed once but nodded. Lord Mithrik was the key to finding her.

Taking his silence as permission to continue, Lord Mithrik took a seat in the chair next to

the bed. “Do you swear that your breaker had no intention of using you to harm the empress?

That she had no involvement in the plot by Lady Grenba to enslave the will of the empress?”

“What?” Bolin grunted as Devnar stumbled into him. “She would never do that. All she

ever talked about was pleasing her. Melania lives by the rules of your planet to a tee.”

“Your breaker never met or spoke with Lady Grenba?” The question was said in a casual

voice, but he noted how Khilam tensed. It was getting easier and easier to read the handsome

man, and that bothered Devnar. In a way, it almost reminded him of how he read Melania. If he

concentrated hard enough, he could almost catch the edge of the other man’s emotions. He

pushed that thought away and focused on Lord Mithrik.

“Of course she did. That evil bitch chewed off some man’s face in front of us in order to

intimidate her.” He met Lord Mithrik’s gaze and willed him to see he was speaking the truth.

“Melania despises Lady Grenba. She has devoted her life to healing the damage that people like

her do to their slaves. Never in a million years would she be part of any of that bitch’s plans.”

Bolin said, “See, she’s innocent. I told you the prince wouldn’t bond anyone who would do

that.”

“Do what?” Devnar asked in a quiet growl. If they didn’t produce Melania soon, he was

going to see just how sharp the knife they gave him was against Lord Mithrik’s throat.

“One of our spies learned Lady Grenba has been selling female workers as slaves to the

southern rebels of your planet. We’ve found that our people can breed together, and that makes

our races unique to each other. There has been some speculation that a long time ago, when

Kyrimia went through the Burning Times, some of our people managed to escape in primitive

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spacecraft. We think your people might be some of our descendants.” He ignored Devnar’s

growl of rage and continued, “We believe Lady Grenba’s been working with your Lord Adsel

and exchanging men from your planet to be used as slaves here.”

“Why the hell would you want our men as slaves? You have more beautiful boys here than

you know what to do with.” Devnar shot Khilam a sneer as he said the last part. Instead of

looking insulted, Khilam actually smiled.

Lord Mithrik leaned forward on his elbows, but there was nothing relaxing about his

posture. “Because your genetics are taint-free from the radiation. Your genetic codes are almost

as pure as that of the royal family without having the risk of a random mutation cropping up.”

Devnar rubbed his face where a headache was brewing with a vengeance. “Explain.”

“After the nuclear wars and environmental disasters that shattered our world, all but for

this small continent that we barely survive on, our people were almost destroyed. One out of

every three births resulted in a hideous mutation that didn’t survive long. We had to begin a

selective breeding program, letting only those with the cleanest and strongest genes pass along

their genetic codes to the next generation. That’s what the regulators were originally set up for.

They were the guardians of our future.”

What he said made horrible sense but didn’t explain why they wanted Jensian men for

breeding. “Why us? I’ve seen your people. They’re perfect.”

Lord Mithrik shifted, and his face paled. “Not quite. There are thousands

of…abominations born every year despite our careful and strict protocols.”

“Abominations like Melania?” he spat out in an angry voice.

Shaking his head, Lord Mithrik met his gaze, and Devnar was taken aback by the pain and

fear he saw there. “No, abominations like things that ate their way out of their mother’s wombs

and killed the birth attendant. Things with teeth and claws, human genetics merged in some time

long past with those of the native animals of our planet. Even our most careful breeding cannot

avoid them. They are our curse, our burden to bear.”

Devnar rubbed his chest and tried to imagine the nightmare scenario Lord Mithrik

described. “Why did Melania never mention them?”

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“She doesn’t know. Most of the population doesn’t know. How would you feel, knowing

that on the other side of the continent there stood a hideous prison colony of these creatures?

They are remarkably resilient to the poisonous environment and actually seem to thrive beyond

the domes. It is not their fault they are alive. We do the best we can to keep them in comfort.”

“Spending your entire life locked behind bars. Sounds like hell to me.” He ignored Lord

Mithrik’s glare and turned to Khilam. “You still haven’t answered why you need our seed.”

“Your seed is pure. Of the three births we’ve recorded between your people and ours, the

genetics have been perfect. For the empress to have the opportunity for a concubine who will

give her perfect babies, love her and only her, and be able to defend her, your men are the ideal

pick. I’m sure Lady Grenba’s been smuggling your men into the different royal houses to

couples desperate for a healthy child.” Khilam rested his hand on Lord Mithrik’s shoulder and

gave a gentle squeeze. “No one should ever have to live with the horror of losing their wife and

finding out their child is a monster.”

Devnar looked away from the private moment and exchanged a glance with Bolin. “That

all sounds wonderful and noble, but why was I kept prisoner? If you knew something was wrong,

why didn’t Khilam tell me when we met for the first time instead of sleeping with me? I would

have helped.”

“As you know,” Khilam smoothly interrupted, “you’re addictive to us. I volunteered to see

if there was any basis to the rumors and examine your relationship with your breaker. To see if

you were truly here against your will or part of Lady Grenba’s schemes.”

Devnar ran his hand through his hair. “Why did Lady Grenba even bother to bring me here

if she has all these slaves?”

“Because she needed your royal blood.” Bolin released him as Devnar’s legs grew strong

enough to hold him. “Royals families from all parts of the galaxy are getting ready to send their

princes and princesses to try and become the next concubine.”

“Lady Grenba was going to make sure you bonded Melania, then take her away from you.”

Lord Mithrik nodded at his growl. “They were planning on making sure you and the empress

made love, and that she would become addicted to you.”

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“If she had Melania, I would have done anything that evil bitch asked. All Melania would

have to do is tell me to have sex with the empress, and I would do it. I would do anything to

please her. Without Melania’s permission, I would have been as useless as a gelding, and only

Lady Grenba would have the key to making me give an addicted empress what she needed.”

Bolin and Khilam moved away as he paced through the small room. “But Melania had nothing to

do with this. Where is she?”

“Being held in the royal prison.” Lord Mithrik sat back and held up his hand. “She is safe

there. If we don’t hold her until her sale, the regulators would have her. And we think Lady

Grenba controls them or at least a powerful section of the Council.”

“Melania’s being sold?” He stalked toward Lord Mithrik with his fists clenched.

Khilam moved to stand between them, but Lord Mithrik didn’t move from his chair. “Yes.

In three days, she will be sold to the highest bidder on one of our trade moons. To vanish and

never be seen again.”

“If you sell her, I will kill you and everyone you love until no one with your precious

genetics walks this stinking planet.”

“Good thing we’re selling her to you then, yes?” Lord Mithrik’s hazel eyes sparkled.

“We’re hoping Lady Grenba will send one of her agents to the sale and try to buy Melania. Lady

Grenba will have to. Melania knows the truth and is a great risk to her well-laid-out scheme.”

“So you believe me that Melania’s innocent?” He relaxed his shoulders and rubbed the

warm spot in his heart.

“Yes. And like I said earlier, the empress apologizes for this. She really does want to

establish good relations with the rest of the galaxy, and kidnapping a prince is not the way to do

it.” He gave Bolin an odd look, and the other man actually blushed. “Though I do believe we’ve

found a way to smooth things over.”

Khilam cleared his throat, and Lord Mithrik pressed his lips together. “I forgot to add

Khilam is now the official ambassador to your planet. He’s grown very…fond of you.”

Now it was Devnar’s turn to shuffle while Bolin coughed into his fist, and Khilam gave

him a smile that would melt a glacier. “I look forward to working with the prince and his people

to help rescue our women.”

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Devnar sat down on the edge of his bed with a deep sigh. “You said I have three days till

the auction?”

“Yes. Your second in command, Volun, is waiting for you on the trade moon. He will buy

Melania and bring her back to your ship. Your face is too well-known after the spectacle at the

arena.”

“Volun didn’t know,” Bolin added quickly as he watched Devnar closely. “He’s deeply

ashamed of his father’s actions and has vowed to hunt him down and kill him. We think Lord

Adsel is in a southern rebel stronghold.”

Devnar slammed his fists down on the bed. “That bastard! No wonder it seems like the

rebels always knew our plans. He must have been feeding them our intelligence for years.”

Fury rolled through his blood. Bolin said in a low voice, “Someday, Prince, we’ll find him.

And when we do, he will pay.”

Clearing his throat, Lord Mithrik sat forward. “While I have the utmost sympathy for your

situation, we need to focus on the present. There is much to be discussed, not the least of which

is organizing the rescue of our women from your planet. We’re going to need your help, Prince.”

He rubbed his face and looked at Bolin. “Where is Ikel?”

To his surprise, Bolin actually flushed. “He…ah…that is…” Bolin glanced at Lord

Mithrik. “Ikel is being taken care of right now. He had a few injuries from the fight but he is in

tender hands.”

Lord Mithrik actually growled, and Khilam choked on his laughter. Devnar pressed on his

throbbing temples and tried to will his mind to work. “What do you need from us?”

Lord Mithrik stood and scooted his chair closer to Devnar’s bunk, and Khilam sat next to

Devnar and handed him a folded up map from his pocket. Devnar leaned in and listened as the

older man listed the atrocities Lady Grenba and Lord Adsel had committed against their people.

He forced himself to focus; Melania would be furious at him if he didn’t give her a full report