Wray (30 page)

Wray didn't like Kim pulling away from him.
He especially didn't like the way her gaze immediately went to
Tora. He knew it wasn't because she was interested in his
offspring, but Tora didn't.

"Tora..." He began, only to be cut off by a
knocking on the door. "Enter!" he ordered impatiently.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, majesty, but King
Grim is on the comm and is requesting to speak with you."

"Tell him I will contact him later." Wray
told Veron.

"He says it is urgent, sire." Veron
pressed.

"Manno... it is Grim." Tora couldn't hide his
disbelief that his manno didn’t immediately rise to see what Grim
wanted. If Grim thought it were urgent then it must be.

"Wray." Kim puts a hand on Wray's arm. "It's
your brother. It must be important for him to say it’s urgent.” She
gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. “Go. Find out what he needs.
I'll be fine here with Tora." She turned her gaze to the younger
male whose shock was evident. "Won't I, Tora." she challenged.

"I..." Tora stuttered, his eyes flying to his
manno for guidance. He has never been allowed to be with a female
alone. "Yes, of course, but..."

"You will protect her with your life, Tora."
Wray ordered, rising from his chair. "She is your Empress!"

"Yes, manno." Tora immediately replied. Of
course he would protect the female. All worthy males protected
females.

With a stiff nod to Tora, Wray ran a last
gentle finger along her cheek, then forced himself to follow Veron
from the room.

Kim's eyes followed Wray as he left and knew
it was something she was going to have to get used to. Wray's back.
With a heavy sigh, she turned her attention back to the platter in
front of her and found her appetite had left with Wray. She was
actually feeling a little nauseous from all the strange smells.
Pushing the platter away, she closed her eyes and leaned back in
her chair.

"My manno would want you to eat." Tora's
hesitant voice had her eyes flying open.

"I'm suddenly not hungry.” She said gesturing
to his platter. “Go ahead and eat yours."

Tora grimaced slightly and pushed his platter
away too. "While it is true, I enjoy seasoned meat, Lord Reeve's
cook has not yet discovered the proper amounts to use."

"That bad, huh." Kim found her humor
returning.

"Yes."

"And the other things?" She gestured to the
other items on his platter.

"Again, nearly inedible."

"Yet you would have let me eat it.''

"Yes," Tora was forced to admit and then
tried to justify it. "To
you
it may taste fine."

"Because I'm strange to you."

"Yes." Tora said, nodding.

"Maybe Wray is right and it’s not
me
that's strange but
you
."

"Doubtful." Tora said, crossing his arms
across his chest and leaned back in
his
chair.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I am Tornian." He said as if that
explained everything.

"So?"

"So?" Tora's eyebrows dived down. "What do
you mean...
so
?"

"Just what I said. What makes you think, that
being Tornian makes you so damn special? So special that it can’t
mean that you aren't the ones that are
strange
? On my world,
you
would definitely be strange. We don't have nearly
seven-foot warriors who treat females as if they are
things
.
On my world, females aren't hidden away. We are able to go where we
want, when we want and talk to whomever we want. Our lives don't
revolve around our ability to produce offspring either and
all
females are
equally
important." Kim found her
voice rising as she did. "So maybe it is
your
society that
is
strange,
Tora! Strange and
wrong
."

Tora found himself shocked, not only by her
words, but also by her utter belief in them. What she was saying
wasn't possible. There wasn't a world like the one she described in
all the known universes. True, not all species kept their females
as secluded as Tornians did, but they all protected their females.
They were never allowed to just go wherever they wanted. Whenever
they wanted. They were too important to their survival.

"From what world do you claim to come from?"
He demanded.

"I don't
claim
anything.” Kim replied
angrily. “I
come
from a planet called Earth.”

“I’ve never heard of it.”

“
What?
” Kim asked sarcastically.
“Someone as great and important as
you
. A
Tornian,
hasn’t heard of Earth?”

“I know every planet in the known universes.”
Tora declared.

“Really… so what does that tell you, Tora?”
Kim asked.

Tora was silent for several seconds before
his eyebrows shot up. “That isn’t possible.”

“Don’t let it bother you.” Kim said realizing
she was being unreasonable. “Wray had never heard of it before
either. Apparently only the Ganglians have.”

“The Ganglians…” Tora growled, his dislike
for them easily heard.

“Yes, they kidnapped me from Earth. Wray
found me on one of their ships after the Searcher intercepted
them.” She watched Tora pale as he realized what that had meant for
her and her attitude towards him began to soften.

“They…” Tora found he had to clear his
throat.

“Yes." Kim’s voice caught, but she forced
herself to continue. "They abused me to the point that I would have
died if Wray hadn’t found me when he did."

“He killed them?” Tora asked.

“Yes.”

“Good! Ganglians are scum. They will abuse
any female they find. The universe would be a better place without
them.

“You won't get an argument on that from me,
but they aren’t the only ones who abuse females.”

“What do you mean?”

“Two Tornian males attacked me on Pontus."
Kim told him and watched the disbelief cross his face. "They would
have abused me if Wray hadn’t stopped them. All because I’m not
Tornian.”

“That’s not possible! Only Warriors travel
with the Emperor and he only chooses the fittest and most worthy to
serve him. They would
never
abuse a female. My manno
wouldn’t stand for it.”

“And he didn’t. That is why they are no
longer members of his guard.”

“He dismissed them instead of ending them?”
Tora couldn’t hide his shock.

“He couldn’t kill them because your law
states they committed no crime.”

“Impossible! Our law clearly states that no
male may harm or abuse a female. If he does his life is ended.”

“Only if he abuses a
Tornian
female,
Tora. That’s what your Law says. All other females are at risk of
abuse. Females like me.”

“That was not the true intentions of the
Law.”

“That doesn’t matter. What matters is what it
does
say and because of that Wray couldn’t kill Fala or
Gyula.”

“Warriors Fala and Gyula? It was them?”

“Yes."

“But they were trained
here
. On Vesta.
By Lord Reeve.”

“Yes.”

Tora's eyes widened in shock. He had heard
none of this. Fala and Gyula were held in the highest regard on
Vesta. They were offered as examples to young males hoping to
become Warriors as two of the finest ever produced on Vesta. For
them to return in disgrace....

"You know them." Kim watched the emotions
crossing Tora's face.

"Of them." Tora grudgingly admitted.

"I see."

"I find it hard to believe they would do such
a thing."

"Believe it." Kim said and rose to look out
the window wrapping her arms around her middle as she stared out
into the night. It seemed to be storming in the mountains if those
flashes of light meant lightening. "They even justified themselves
by saying that since they could smell Ganglian on me that I must be
willing to Join with
any
male. It didn't matter to them that
I was forced. It didn’t matter that I'd been with Wray for nearly a
week. All that mattered to them was that I wasn't Tornian and Wray
wasn't near."

"My manno left you unprotected?" Wray
couldn’t believe it.

"Wray had climbed a cliff so he could contact
Veron. He was gone, maybe fifteen minutes when they arrived…
searching for us." She turned back to look at him.

"They knew you were with the Emperor and they
still
attacked you?"

"Yes."

Tora pondered what she said.
Every
warrior knew that
any
female traveling with the Emperor is
under his protection, Tornian or not. What Fala and Gyula had done
was unforgivable.

"My manno should have killed them
anyway."

"My thoughts exactly.” Kim agreed. “But as
the Emperor, Wray, of all people, has to uphold the Law. Right or
wrong. Whether he agrees with it or not and according to your
law
, they had committed no crime. It's the only reason they
are alive."

"He still should have killed them for the
dishonor they brought to all Tornian males."

"An
Emperor
can't think like that,
Tora. He doesn’t have the luxury of doing whatever he wants. His
decisions affect millions. You need to understand that because some
day
you
will be Emperor and what you
want
to do isn’t
always going to be what you
have
to do."

Tora rose from his chair to stare at her in
disbelief.
She,
a
female
, was lecturing him on what
would one day be
his
responsibilities. Treating him as if he
were a young male? Females rarely even
talked
to a male.
They
never
lectured one and she thought she wasn't
strange.

"What now?" Kim asked, exasperated.

"You feel you are in the position to lecture
me?"

"Well, apparently someone needs to. Everyone
else just caters to you instead of telling you the hard, cold
truth."

"I..." Tora was tired of this female
surprising him, of her causing him to question things he had never
questioned before. Like a Tornian Warrior abusing a female. "You
are correct, but you are a female. Why are you even concerned with
such things?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Kim tipped her head
questioningly to the side. "I'm going to have to live in this world
now. Why wouldn't I be concerned?"

"Females don't concern themselves..."

"Tornian females!" Kim interrupted him.
"
Never
confuse me with one of them, Tora. I know I can be a
bitch, but I've
never
been like
them
. I Join with a
male because I
love
him. Not because of the
things
he
gives
me. There's a word for women like that on Earth and
I'm not one of them."

"You will never be allowed to Join with any
other male, not even if you do
love
him.” Tora fired back,
stressing the ancient word. “You are now the Empress. Your
responsibility lies with the Emperor."

"Of course it does! That's who I was
talking
about. Wray.
He
is the
only
male I
want to Join with.
"

"Your offspring will never replace me." Tora
informed her, his eyes boring into hers.

"Of course they won't." Kim frowned at him.
"Why would you think they would? You are Wray’s first male.”

"When a female Joins with the Emperor she
expects
her
offspring to one day rule the Tornian
Empire."

"Look, Tora,” Kim said running a tired hand
through her hair. “I’m not even sure your manno and I can
have
offspring together and even if we can, that doesn't
mean they would replace
you
."

“If you can’t produce offspring why would my
manno choose to Join with you?”

“Because I love her.” Wray answered, striding
back into the room.

Kim’s head swung towards the sound of Wray’s
voice, her eyes searching. Finding him, the tension she hadn't
realized had been building since he'd left, disappeared.

“You're back.” She whispered, his words
causing her lips to tremble with emotion.

“Of course I am.” He assured her, moving
directly to her, wrapping her in the safety of his arms. “I told
you I would be.”

“I know.” She said as she buried her face in
his chest, her arms encircling his waist. “I just missed you."

”You are well?” He asked, his eyes shooting
to Tora. Had Tora harmed her?

“I’m fine.” She said, propping her chin up on
his chest to look up at him. “Tora was the perfect gentleman. We
were just talking.”

“About what?” Wray asked.

“About you. Me. What happens now. Tora is
concerned that if we are able to produce offspring that you would
replace him as your first male.”

“What?” Wray's eyes flew to Tora in
disbelief, but he could see that Kim spoke true by the look in
Tora's eyes.

“I told him that was ridiculous, but I think
he needs to hear it from you.” Kim said softly.

“Tora, you will always be my first male and
one day Emperor. Why would you think such a thing?” Wray asked,
confused.

Silence was Tora's only response.

“I think it has something to do with what
happened with Van.” Kim said quietly.

“What?” Wray looked down at her in shock.
“Why would
that
have anything to do with Tora thinking I
would replace him as my first male?”

“Because it is
my
fault Van died."
Tora answered. "I failed him... and you.”

“You did no such thing!” Wray immediately
denied.

“He was only there because of
me
. He
was
my
responsibility.
Mine!
A fit and worthy brother
would never have allowed him to be harmed… never have allowed him
to be left behind… to die.”