Page 75 of Darkest Desire

“I should have done that the first minute I saw that two headed bastard!” the Emperor remarked. Then he pointed at Phoebe, who was still manacled to the X shaped frame. “You!” he exclaimed.

Sirex immediately stepped between the Emperor and Phoebe.

“Not one step further,” he growled. “Phoebe is mine! You’ll have to go through me to get to her and I promise I won’t just kneel down and let you kill me like that fucking Trollox did!”

“Forgive me—I do not wish to hurt her but to thank her.” The Emperor pressed another button on the hilt of his sword and the pale blue flame abruptly extinguished itself. “For it was she who saved me from the Trollox’s trap!” he exclaimed. “She came to my room and untied me and stopped the flow of aging fluid that was dripping into my arm and making me older every day!”

Sirex frowned.

“You don’t appear older than twenty cycles to me.”

“That is because the drip is no longer in my arm and so my body was able to counteract the effects and return me to my normal age,” the Emperor explained. “But Thruck had been aging me for months—I was nearly at the limit of my lifespan, at which time I would have died and he would have taken my throne for himself. The bastard!”

The last word was a low growl and he kicked the limp body of the Trollox which was lying lifeless on the floor.

“I’m very glad that my woman could be of service to you, Your Majesty,” Sirex said to him. “But now the two of us would like to go. Phoebe has been through a lot today—I need to take her home.”

“You are, of course, free to go with my blessing and my gratitude,” the Emperor said courteously.

“Thank you.”

Sirex nodded and went back to unfastening Phoebe from the X shaped cross she was hanging on. She was completely naked but he didn’t have time to look for her clothing now. He took her by the shoulders and looked down into her face.

“Phoebe, are you all right? Can you stand?” he asked her anxiously.

She nodded and instinctively tried to cover herself—only to gasp when the golden manacles shocked her.

“Ouch! I’m okay except I’m really tired of wearing these damn things!”

“Of course you are.” Sirex remembered that Thruck had the only keys to the non-con bracelets. “Hold on,” he told her.

A quick rummage through the dead Trollox’s pockets revealed a set of dainty golden keys. Phoebe held out her wrists eagerly and Sirex unlocked her and let the golden manacles fall with a clink-clank to the floor. Then he took off his black leather vest and gave it to her to wear. It probably wouldn’t quite fit around her large breasts, but it was definitely an improvement on being fully nude.

“Thanks.” Phoebe put on the vest gratefully. But when she tried to pull it closed, she winced. “Ouch! Sorry, I’m too sensitive,” she said, nodding down at her newly pierced nipples.

Sirex felt a stab of guilt—he had done that to her. He had hurt her when she was helpless. True, Thruck had forced his hand, but he had still done it and he hated himself for it.

“Come on,” he said, taking her by the hand. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Yes, please!” She nodded fervently. “Let’s go!”

They left the Grand Salon, where the Emperor was giving orders to various servants. Several of them were already trying to get rid of the Trollox’s carcass while others were tying the nurse who had helped Thruck with his plot to the X shaped cross that Phoebe had so recently vacated.

Sirex didn’t know what was going to happen to her and he didn’t care. She was getting her just deserts, just as Thruck had. Her fate wasn’t going to be pleasant, but that was too damn bad.

Right now, he just wanted to get Phoebe off this planet and away from the Twisted System as soon as possible.

32

PHOEBE

Phoebe was trying to be okay—she really was. But her nipples were throbbing and her nerves were shot. She’d been sure for a while there that she and her mentor were going to die. It looked like Thruck was going to kill her and Sirex both. Thank goodness the Emperor had come out with his flaming sword to save them at the last minute! It was amazing how different he had looked when he was no longer an old man—his dull platinum skin had been a dazzling silver and his snow-white beard had turned to gold.

Maybe that’s why they call him “The Shining One,” she thought as she soaped herself and watched as the warm water sluiced over her body and ran down the reclamation drain.

They were finally aboard the long-range shuttle and Sirex was getting the ship ready for lift off. But the very first thing Phoebe had done when they got into the ship was to make a B-line for the bathroom—or the “fresher” as the Kindred called it. She’d let Sirex think she had an urgent need to pee when the truth was what she really wanted was to get The Goddess’s Finger out of herself.

It was amazing that it hadn’t fallen out before, she thought, as she finished rinsing herself. But it had stayed inside her even when her legs were spread while she was tied to the X shaped cross. Indeed, she’d been a little apprehensive about getting it out. But the minute she made an effort to remove it in the shower, it came out with no problem at all—it was almost like it knew she was safe and it didn’t have to hide anymore. Which made no sense—it was an inanimate object, after all. Still, that was the thought in Phoebe’s head as she washed it off thoroughly and dried it with a towel.