Wray (36 page)

Pressing his hands down against her chest, he
forced the water from her lungs and prayed to the Goddess.

‘
Please glorious one! Please! Don’t take
this female from me. I need her. I will do anything… anything you
ask of me.’
He pleaded.

‘
Anything Emperor?’
While the question
filling his head shocked him, he didn’t let it stop him from
pumping on Kim’s chest.

‘
Anything!’
He responded.

‘
You vow to love and protect her whether
she gives you fit offspring or not?’

‘
Yes!’
Wray shouted in response.

‘
So be it, but know this Emperor… if you
fail me, my wrath will know no bounds.’

‘
If I fail Kim, nothing you do will
matter.’

His response, gave the Goddess pause.
‘Good answer Emperor.’

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Kim was adrift. Cocooned in a darkness that
held no pain, no cold, not fear. There was… nothing.

Nothing was good.

‘
Is it?’
A voice questioned.

‘
Yes.’
Her response was instant and
knew she had displeased the ‘voice’.

“
What about your Warrior?’
She
asked.

‘
Warrior?’
Kim frowned struggling to
understand the question.
‘What warrior?’

“
Have you forgotten him so easily? Perhaps
you aren’t the right female for my new beginning.’

‘
New beginning…’
Something fired in
Kim’s mind. The darkness that was trying to hold her started to
fade and in its place were memories… feelings. Good ones… Bad
ones... Ugly ones…

‘
Yes.’
Somehow, Kim knew it was the
Goddess speaking to her.
‘You have to remember it all. Accept it
all. Before you can return… to him.”

‘
Him?’
Suddenly Kim was thrust into
the light and everything returned at once.

‘
Wray!’
Her mind screamed.

‘
Yes. But I’m not sure he is for
you.’

‘
He is mine!’
Kim dared to growl at
the Goddess appearing before her.

‘
You think you are worthy enough for one
of my finest? For him?’

‘
No.’
Kim’s response was instant and
heartfelt, her eyes dimming, but she refused to back down.
‘I’m
not and I never will be, but no other female will ever love him as
much as I do. No other will ever understand him as I do. No Tornian
female will ever put him first, like I will.’

‘
They have their reasons.’

‘
Not with Wray they don’t!”
Kim argued
back.

‘
In this you are correct.’
The Goddess
paused and it could have lasted a moment or a millennium as her
eyes bored into Kim’s.
‘Are you ready to be my beginning? To
accept what must be. No matter what that is?’

‘
I can accept anything as long as I have
Wray.’

Slowly the Goddess leaned forward, touching a
hand to Kim’s chest. Kim instantly felt life flow through her.

The life she hadn’t realized she’d been
lacking.

‘
Then live and live well child.’

Veron along with every other warrior silently
watched as the Emperor frantically tried to force the water from
the Empress’ lungs, tried to get her to breathe again but few
believed that it was possible.

She was such a small fragile female and
the river was powerful and dangerous. There were grown warriors
that could not survive it, not after the storm, they had the night
before, not when it pulled one down into its murky depths.

It was whispered that after a storm the God
Daco was able to rise up from those black depths, was able to pull
the unsuspecting down into them, stealing their life and
forcing them to serve him... forever.

Tora may have pulled her from Daco’s grasp,
but there was no way she would survive.

Veron was about to step forward, about to
force his Emperor and friend to face the unpleasant truth… his
Empress was now in the hands of the Goddess. As he took that step,
the Empress’ back arched off the ground and she took a desperate
breath.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Wray quickly slid behind Kim, supporting her
as he leaned her forward so she could eject the water clogging her
lungs. Finally, after several minutes of harsh coughing, she
collapsed against him, pale and exhausted.

“Kim.” He whispered, running a gentle finger
under her chin to tip her face up to his and watched her eyes
flutter open.

“Wray…” she whispered, her hand reaching up
to touch his cheek, then her hand fell away, her eyes rolled back
and she went limp in his arms.

“Get a Healer!” Wray roared scooping Kim up
in his arms, he charged back to House Reeve. “Now!”

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Caitir jumped as the door to the Emperor's
chamber suddenly bounced off the wall, the Emperor rushing in,
cradling the Empress against his chest.

“Oh no.” She cried out her hand covering her
mouth as her eyes quickly took in the Empress' pale skin and wet
filthy coverings.

The river…

Caitir moved quickly, but she still barely
got the door to the resting chamber open before the Emperor was
through it. He moved directly to the bed and carefully laid the
Empress down.

“Where is Yakar!” He roared at the males that
were following him.

“He is transporting to the surface as we
speak sire.” Veron told him.

Wray growls his displeasure before giving Kim
his full attention.

While the Emperor spoke, Caitir had moved
cautiously towards the Empress. She didn’t like how blue the
Empress appeared. Reaching out to touch her Caitir found her wrist
suddenly captured by the Emperor's powerful grip.

“I… I mean no harm sire.” She stuttered. “I
was just going to get her temperature. She appears very cold.”

“The river pulled her into its deep waters.”
Wray admitted in a tortured voice and slowly released Caitir’s
wrist.

“The deep waters…” Caitir’s eyes widened with
fear for she understood what that meant. Putting a careful hand on
Kim’s arm Caitir couldn’t believe how cold she was. “She needs to
be warmed! Immediately!" Caitir declared. "These coverings need to
be removed!” Her hands immediately went to the laces that held the
gown together.

“Get back!” Wray ordered harshly.

“But majesty…” Caitir began, then jumped
back, as the Emperor pulled a blade from his waist.

But instead of attacking her, as Caitir
thought he would, the Emperor slice through the Empress’ covering
making one long cut from top to bottom.

“Get out!” Wray roared over his shoulder at
the warriors standing there watching. He would allow no other male
to see the beauty that was his Kim. “Caitir,” He said his hands
going to his shirt. “Go start the cleansing unit.” She immediately
rushed to do his bidding.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Inside the cleansing chamber, Caitir
immediately turned the unit on high and steam began to fill the
space. She then found clean cloths and soaps for the Empress and
then the drying clothes that would be needed after. Turning, she
went to assist the Emperor only to freeze when he walked into the
chamber, completely naked, the Empress cradled in his arms. He
didn’t even spare her a glance as he walked by.

“Leave us!” Wray ordered then stepped into
the unit, giving Caitir a full and unobstructed view of his
gorgeous backside.

“Bless the Goddess.” Caitir whispered, then
blushing hurried from the room.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Entering the resting chamber, Caitir saw the
filthy condition of the sheet, the ruined covering and immediately
went to work getting rid of them. The Empress would need clean
sheets and many more blankets when the Emperor finished cleansing
her.

With an armload of dirty sheets, she walked
out of the room and shoved them into the arms of the nearest
male.

It happened to be Veron.

“These need removed. Clean ones need to be
brought in, along with heavy blankets.” She ordered.

“You think you can give me orders female?”
Veron growled at her.

Any other day Caitir would have cowered in
fear at the large male growling at her.

Not today.

Today
, she cowered before no one. Her
Empress was in need and she would see to it.

“Yes!” she growled back, never breaking eye
contact with the male she knew was the Emperor’s Captain. “The
Empress will need a clean bed once the Emperor has finished
cleansing her. She will need blankets to keep her warm. Are
you
going to deny her these things?" she asked, raising an
eyebrow. "Should I go back in there and tell the Emperor that you
refuse,
Captain
?”

Veron couldn’t believe it! This female, this
Auyangian
female was daring to stand up to him. Him! How
could this be? Yet he also knew she spoke the truth. The Emperor
would
be enraged if these things weren’t properly prepared
for his Empress.

To the shock of every male there, instead of
Veron tearing into the female, he turned and shoved the soiled
linens into the arms of one of Lord Reeve’s warriors.

“Take these!” Veron ordered. “Dispose of them
and have clean ones here in the next five minutes or you will see
the end of my blade!”

The warrior paled at Veron’s words, then
flushed at the menial task assigned him. This was not the job for a
warrior from such a worthy House.

Still, he spun on his heel and hurried from
the room, for he knew the Emperor’s Captain did not make idle
threats.

“Is there anything else the Empress is going
to need?” Veron demanded, turning back to Caitir.

“A healer and the blessing of the Goddess.”
Caitir told him, her eyes full of worry as she looked back to the
resting chamber.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Wray gripped Kim securely as he stepped into
the cleansing unit, not wanting the slightest chance of her
slipping out of his hold. He hadn’t realized how truly cold she
was, until Caitir had pointed it out. He remembered how cold she
had been when he’d found her on the Ganglian ship. Remembered how
she had loved the heat of the pool on Pontus.

Turning, he let the water stream through her
hair and down her back, warming her as he reached for the cloth and
slowly started to cleanse her.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Kim slowly came awake to the sound of running
water and the feel of Wray’s hands moving over her body….

“Hmm... Didn't we talk about you cleansing me
when I'm not awake?” She meant her words to come out playful
instead they sounded more like a croak. Why was that?

“Kim?”

The uncertainty in Wray’s voice had her
opening her eyes. For some reason they were in the cleansing unit
and Wray’s eyes were full of concern. Why?

“Why are you cleansing me?” she whispered a
sense of dread filling her.

“You don’t remember?” Wray asked
carefully.

“Remember? Remember what?” And just that
suddenly, it all came back to her. Fala. Gyula. The attack. Tora
fighting Fala. Wray fighting Gyula. Falling into the river, that
dark, cold… no she wouldn’t think about that. Instead, she pushed
against Wray’s chest, leaning back so her eyes could scan him,
searching for the slightest injury.

“Are you hurt?” she asked.

“I am fine Kim." He reassured her.

“Tora…" She asked. "Is Tora all right? He was
fighting Fala.”

“He too is fine Kim.”

“And Caitir?” She continued to press.

“She is in the outer room. Safe.” Wray
assured her and pulled her close again.

"The guards." she asked, starting to relax.
When Wray remained silent, she looked up at him. "Wray?"

“They are in the hands of the Goddess, my
Kim.” He told her, instantly regretting his honesty when she
paled.

“What?” she whispered weakly. "All of
them?"

"Yes. The darts used on them were filled with
Skua poison. They were dead before they hit the ground." Wray told
her, silently thanking the Goddess that it hadn't been in the dart
used on her.

"Why?" Kim felt her eyes filling. "Why would
Fala and Gyula do such a thing? They were their fellow
warriors."

Wray did not know what to tell her because he
did not know. Therefore, he pulled her close and let her cry. Cry
for the warriors who had lost their lives. Goddess, there wasn't
another female like her in all the universes and she was his!

From now on, it would be his mission in life
to make sure she was never, ever harmed again, not by word nor by
deed. He would never fail her again.

"This wasn't your fault Wray." Kim whispered,
her head still resting on his chest. She could feel the tension in
him and knew he was blaming himself.

"It was!" He declared. "Because you are
mine
! Entrusted to me by the Goddess herself and I failed to
protect you!"

"You
didn't
." Kim denied, pulling back
to look up at him through the steam. "My
being
here is proof
of that."

"You fell into the
river
Kim and I
didn't even
notice
!"

"You were a fighting Gyula at the time," she
reminded him.

"I wouldn't have been if I had killed him on
Pontus as you wished." He told her angrily.

"No." She said firmly. "That would have been
wrong."

"That does not matter, not if it meant you
were safe."

"Don’t say that. Never say that Wray because
it
does
matter.” Kim cupped his cheeks, making him look at
her and in his eyes, she saw the pain and guilt, he carried over
what he hadn't been able to prevent. “If you could have done that,
you would be no different than Fala and Gyula, who used a Law for
something it was never meant for. It would have made you like
Lucan, who thought he was above the Law just because he was the
Emperor. That’s not who you are!
You
are an honorable male
Wray, a truly fit one and because you are, the title ‘Emperor’
means something again, something good. It’s one of the reasons I
love you.”