Fallen Star (42 page)

The prince flashed a hungry smile. “Ensuring my purchase.” He pulled himself up onto the branch. “If you’re already impressed,
A’syr
Sobehk will have to close off all other bids.”

Oh, shit!
Fallon grabbed one of the upper branches and climbed higher. “This isn’t a good idea,
‘Syr!
”

The prince followed her. “I think it’s a perfectly acceptable idea.”

Fallon moved around the trunk to the far side and climbed higher. “I thought impression needed sex to happen? Isn’t it kind of hard to have sex in a tree?” Speaking of trees, she was running out of tree fast.
Khan! Help me, damn you!

I’m coming.
Khan’s mental voice held determination.
That little sneak ... he promised he wouldn’t do this!

The prince laughed. “You
are
new! Impression can happen on contact. That’s why you’ve been told to stay out of reach.” He peeked at her from the other side of the trunk. “There you are.” He reached out.

Fallon released the branch she held and dropped, catching the branch below her with her palms. She pulled sharply and brought her feet up onto the branch to perch. She looked up at him. “You’re cheating!”

“So?” He grinned. “You
are
good.” He started back down. “I definitely have to have you.”

“Isabeau!” Khan’s shout sounded like salvation.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Fallon dropped as fast as she could, swinging from branch to branch. Not an easy thing to do since the whole tree was moving and it was highly irregular in shape, not to mention the fact that the bark was rough on the palms. She landed on the grass in a crouch.

Khan had his leather robe on and his hood up. His mouth was tight.
Are you all right?

Fallon stood up.
Fine, and I stayed out of hand contact. What took you so long?

“Oh!” The prince moved back down the tree at a considerably slower pace. “
A’syr
Nehkyx,
do you have to call her in?”

Khan looked up and folded his arms. “Yes, my prince, she needs to get dressed for the auction.”

The young man landed on the grass gracefully. “Pity ...”

Fallon darted behind Khan.

The prince grinned. “
A’syr
Nehkyx
, would you be kind enough to tell
A’syr
Sobehk that I am quite determined. I will empty my account if I have to.”

Khan bowed. “I will do so, my prince.”

“Thanks!” The young man leaned to the side to smile at Fallon. “It was nice to meet you, Isabeau.”

Fallon sketched a deep bow. “It was my honor,
‘Syr
.”

The prince turned and jogged for the glass doors.

Khan turned to look at Fallon.
I believe you made an impression.
He smiled.

Fallon frowned at him.
Funny, that’s what he was trying for.

Khan’s smile became grim.
So I saw. The little sneak.

She looked at the closed doors where the prince had disappeared.
Khan, I have a bad feeling that he’s the intended target.

Khan sighed.
I do, too.
He started toward the doors.

Fallon followed him with her arms crossed.
But we still don’t know who wants him dead!

Khan snorted.
Unfortunately, I do
. He grasped the door handle.
Fully half the council wants him dead.

Fallon shook her head.
What! Why?

Khan shrugged and tugged the door open.
Oh, the usual reasons, power, greed --

The prince was right inside the door.

Khan raised his brow.
Precociousness is another.

Fallon jerked back from the door, stepping into direct sunlight. Her skin gleamed like metal -- and warmed, very quickly.

The prince focused on her, and his mouth opened. “Oh,
gold ...
”

Khan cleared his throat. “My prince?”

The prince’s gaze widened as he focused on Khan. “Oh! Excuse me,
A’syr
Nehkyx
.” He hunched his shoulders and turned to walk down the hall. Waiting at the far end were two older Skeldhi in long brilliant robes, along with six fully armored
Mahf’dhyt
enforcers. The prince joined them and they all trooped out.

Fallon came inside and rubbed her arms. “It was getting warm out there.”

Khan smiled. “Your
rehkyt
skin can take more sunlight than ours, but you will still burn if you stand directly in it long enough.”

Sobehk stepped out of the left doorway. “Mother Night, three
Ehnya’dhyt! Three!
” He grimaced. “Remind me
not
to do that again!”

Fallon’s mouth fell open. The other men in robes had been councilors, too?

Khan stepped into the hall with Fallon at his heels. “You handled them very gracefully.”

Sobehk snorted. “Yeah, right. More like they handled
me!
”

Khan shook his head then raised his brow. “It seems that the prince was quite taken with our Isabeau.”

Sobehk frowned. “I missed part of that earlier sending, one of the councilors was yammering in my ear. Did you say that the prince tried to climb the tree to get to her?”

Fallon curled her lip. “He didn’t just climb it; he chased me up and down it!”

Sobehk snorted. “Determined kid.”

“I think he’s a
scared
kid.” Fallon raised her brow at Khan. “Can we do something about getting him a proper bodyguard?”

Khan scowled. “Not you.”

Fallon snorted. “Obviously not me, but there has to be somebody ...?”

“I’ll see what
rehkyt
are available.” Khan rolled his eyes and headed toward the bedchamber. “Come, we need to get dressed.”

Fallon followed. “Just us?”

Khan nodded then turned to let her pass. “The dressers will be here very soon to dress Sobehk in court garb.”

“Fancy togs, huh?” Fallon grinned at Sobehk. “That ought to be interesting.”

Sobehk pointed at the bedchamber. “Go.”

* * * * *

Khan leaned back against the right side of the lift and crossed his arms. He was back in his black leather arsenal-laden jacket and skintight pants with his long sword shoved in his sash.

Fallon paced in the lift. She was back in her belly-exposing sex-toy leathers, including Sobehk’s blue sash and Khan’s short sword. Khan had also taken the time to drag her hair back into a tight tail and set a silver ring to hold it very firmly in place.

Sobehk, however, looked majestic. The dressers had done quite a job on him. His hair had been completely redressed into a very full lion’s mane with thousands of tiny sapphire beads on tiny braids, and his robes were fit for a prince. He wore three layers, beginning with sheer frost white under sapphire blue damask. A midnight blue heavily brocaded over-robe hung open and draped him to the floor and a bit beyond.

The blue sash peeking out from under the long over-robe was heavily embroidered with silver thread and nearly scraped the top of his pointed boots. Broad silver bracelets were on his wrists, and his nails had been manicured sharp, then dipped in silver.

Sobehk turned to look at the lift’s floor reading. He was clearly not thrilled. His knuckles were white as he clutched his white staff.

Fallon’s eye was drawn to the broad design embroidered in silver thread across his shoulders and down his back. It looked something like a gigantic oval moon with six ornately clawed rays.
Weird symbol
. She went back to pacing. Great Maker, she hated waiting.

Khan eyed Fallon’s pacing. “Calm yourself. You have already passed the difficult part, the assessment. We need only arrest anyone that approaches you with the second half of the code.”

Fallon clutched her upper arms. “And how are
we
supposed to know when
they
have it --
before
they stick it in my head?”

Khan lifted his hand and peeled back his sleeve, revealing the black band on his wrist. “Part of my work, while you were napping, was to complete the programming on this. With the help of your spectral code, I will be able to detect its presence. I had it half-way completed when we left the ship.” He examined the black band. “Your coding is not as simple as it appears.”

“Oh, thanks.” The compliment to her work was as startling as it was warming. Fallon’s brows shot up. “Is that why we had to be so careful about anyone coming near me; because you didn’t have it ready?”

Khan lowered his chin. “Of course.”

Sobehk chuckled. “
And
because Khan is a possessive bastard. He doesn’t like others touching his property.”

Khan snorted. “And you are not?”

Sobehk opened his mouth on a retort.

The lift doors opened, revealing guards stationed on either side.

The chamber beyond was a huge round auditorium with tiered seating packed nearly solid with people in brilliantly hued robes. Dim globes shed light on either side of the doors to over a dozen lifts lining the curved walls. Stepped aisles led downward to the center.

At the very bottom was a large, oval, chest-high stage that gleamed like black water. The force-grid had been activated around it, blocking anyone from climbing onto, or off of, the stage without clearance. In the middle of that black expanse, someone paced. Light poured down on his golden skin and long dark hair. The auction was apparently well under way.

Khan stepped out and lifted his fist, presenting the back of his hand for scanning. He received a nod, stepped down, and turned with his arms crossed.

Fallon frowned. Unlike the other aisles, the carpeted steps leading down from their lift were lined on either side with clear safety-glass walls. She wondered if it was needed to keep back the audience.

No
. Sobehk pushed Fallon out of the lift.
The glass is to keep unimpressed and frightened
rehkyt
from attacking someone that accidentally gets too close.

Fallon rolled her eyes, lifted her hand, and presented her fist for scanning.
Same thing.

Seated Skeldhi stood up to peer at her through the glass with flyers or data readers in their hands. The chamber echoed with whispers.

Fallon felt the hair on the back of her neck rise. Suddenly she was very glad that glass was there.

The guard nodded.

She stepped forward to wait by Khan’s side.

Sobehk received his nod and glanced about as he proceeded down the steps toward them.
I do not remember there ever being this many people at an auction this far out of Skeldhi space.

There’s a wager, remember?
Khan moved down the stairs, leading the way two steps ahead with his hand on the pommel of his sword, clearly stating that he was acting as guard.
On who will lay claim to our Isabeau?

Ah ... yes.
Sobehk’s mouth tightened.
A lot of money is going to be lost when that fourth
Ehnya’dhyt
steps in.

A fourth councilor? Fallon frowned at Khan’s back.
What fourth
Ehnya’dhyt?

Nothing you need to worry about.
Khan’s amusement was matched by the sense of anticipation wrapped around it.

Fallon followed Khan to the very bottom of the steps. A second set of stairs led onto the stage.

Khan held out his left fist. “Hold.”

Fallon stopped and looked over at the chest-high stage. Stalking back and forth across the black expanse was a heavily muscled gold-skinned male in skintight leather pants. Tall boots climbed halfway up his muscular thighs. His straight black hair was an unbound spill of darkness that fell to the center of his back. The steel chain was bright against his golden throat and silver clips gleamed in the bottom curve of his ears.

Abruptly, he stopped, then turned sharply to face Fallon. His eyes were enormous and pitch black, not one speck of color. His mouth and nipples were as red as hers.

Her heart thumped. He was an
upuaht
Prime, like she was.

Khan frowned at Fallon.
Don’t get any ideas.

Fallon started.
Ideas about what?

Sobehk chuckled.
Don’t
give
her any ideas.

A bell rang.

The male started hard and turned sharply toward the center of the stage, his body tense and very still. The bitter scent of fear-sweat washed from the stage.

A man dressed in leather half-armor came up onto the stage from the far side with a chain lead in his hand.

A far smaller Skeldhi male in pale orange and gold robes followed. His mane was a full creamy fall that glittered with gold beads. His face was youthful, and his eyes were as pitch black as the
rehkyt
’s. He held his hands out toward the golden male and smiled.

The
rehkyt
moved cautiously toward the robed man, his chin up and his body tense. He towered head and shoulders over the smaller Skeldhi. The
rehkyt
took the smaller man’s hands, trembled hard, and dropped to his knees as though felled by a blow.

The Skeldhi sucked in a sharp breath and closed his eyes, gripping the other man’s hands.

Khan nodded.
Fast impression. Good match.

Fallon blinked.
Wow ...

The leather-clad Skeldhi handed the robed man the chain lead.

The
rehkyt
released his new owner’s hands and lifted his chin so that the lead could be attached to his chain collar.

The entire audience murmured.

The
rehkyt
rose to his feet and walked off stage following the smaller man.

The bell rang again.

The energy grid blocking the stairs disappeared.

Khan held out his hand. “The sword.”

Fallon jolted hard but pulled the sword from her sash. “It’s my turn?” Her mouth went dry and she had to swallow. “
‘Syr?
”