Secrets of New Pompeii (13 page)

She took his face between her hands and
kissed him, mixing their tastes as he had melded their bodies. “I
love you, Max. Don’t ever doubt how much you mean to me.”

He grasped her hips and moved her up and down
as he arched into each rotation. “I love you too. Never doubt I’ll
fight to keep you. Nothing will ever separate us again.”

“Nothing,” she agreed, and then returned to
the kiss, expressing her determination and devotion with her body
rather than words.

The shallow slide of her body over and
against his soon frustrated them both. He wrapped his arms around
her, holding her close as he swung his legs off the side of the
bed. Still clasping her to his chest, he stood then bent and
lowered her to the mattress and draped her legs over his arms.

She couldn’t move as well in the position,
but he could move so much better. His cock slid nearly out before
thrusting deep again. Each endless stroke sent excitement spiraling
up her spine and tightened her inner muscles in a rhythmic
caress.

Their cries mingled as his hips pounded
between her thighs. She stared into his eyes, humbled by the love
he offered with his sparkling gaze. The pleasure intensified, but
she fought to keep her eyes open, wanting to fall together, to
share the wonder with him.

He pulled her hips off the bed and drove his
entire length into her pussy. His gaze drove into her as fiercely
as his cock and she eagerly accepted both. They shuddered and
moaned, lost in each other’s eyes, unaware of anything but the love
passing between them. The moment stretched on and on, her body
perfectly attuned to his, their spirits one.

With a shaky smile, he scooped her up and she
quickly wrapped her legs around his waist. He turned and sat on the
edge of the bed, still buried deep inside her. They touched and
kissed, unwilling for words to intrude on the perfection of the
moment.

“We could tell Caleb to drop us off on one of
the colony outposts or catch a transport to—”

He placed his fingers against her lips,
halting the sudden rush of words. “There is more at stake than you
and me. We can’t abandon the others and we both know it.”

She nodded. “This is just so perfect. I don’t
want to risk…”

“Nothing worth having comes without risk and
sacrifice.” He brushed her hair back from her face and kissed her
forehead. “But we’re fighting this battle together. Your father
won’t know what hit him.”

Naloni was awakened the next morning by an
annoying buzzer. She had spent the night in Max’s arms and slept
better than she had in years. It took a moment to clear the
peaceful lethargy.

“Open comlink,” she told the computer,
lifting the emergency-only block she’d put on the cabin. “What’s
wrong?” she asked her unseen visitor.

“It’s Caleb, Your Highness. You need to get
dressed quickly. Your father is here.”

“How did he find me?” She sat up, clutching
the sheet to her breasts. Max stirred beside her, still looking
sleepy and content.

“I don’t know. But I can’t hold him off much
longer. He’s liable to blast his way onboard.”

“We’ll be right there.”

She threw back the covers and crawled out of
bed. “Damn it. This weakens our position considerably. I can’t
threaten to disappear if he knows where I’m at.”

“Sure you can. Your chip is dead. He has no
way to track your movements without making you a prisoner.”

She dressed quickly in one of the uniforms
Caleb had delivered to the cabin the night before. Max dressed as
well, looking especially dangerous in the primarily black outfit.
“Captain Thrax, we’re ready. Where shall we go?”

“Take the lift down one level. I’ll meet you
there.”

Caleb met them as promised, but his
expression was noticeably tense. “I put him in the officer’s
lounge. I tried to refuse his guards, but two ignored my
instructions and shoved past my men. I figured a firefight wasn’t
the best way to begin negotiations, so I held my guards back.”

“That was wise.” Naloni smoothed down her
hair, feeling ridiculously nervous. She was about to have a
conversation with her father, not face an executioner. “It’s
probably best if you let us handle this. I don’t want him to turn
on you if he becomes frustrated with me.”

Caleb grinned. “You don’t need to protect me.
I have no regrets.”

“Even so, the fewer distractions we have, the
better.”

“My comlink is open. If you need me,
call.”

There were several tables and a
comfortable-looking sofa inside the lounge, but her father had
chosen to stand. She stepped through the doorway ahead of Max,
partially blocking her father’s view of her mate.

“Arrest that man,” Sineth said with a
suspicious lack of conviction in his voice.

“I can’t let you do that, Father.” She didn’t
budge as her father’s guards rushed forward. She would not back
down. Not this time, not ever again. “Where Max goes, I go.”

“Even if he assisted in your rescue, he
actively participated in your abduction. There must be consequences
for his actions.”

Refusing to hide behind her, Max stepped to
her side. “I was attempting to escape an intolerable situation. I
had no idea Dario intended to use a hostage to secure our escape.
Had I known, I would not have—”

“I am speaking with my daughter. You will
remain silent or I will have you removed.” Sineth motioned for his
guards to return to their posts, but his gaze remained hostile. “I
spent the past two hours with Stevon Poliantus. So I understand his
reason for attempting escape. I’m not sure it justifies endangering
you, even temporarily.”

Naloni nodded toward one of the tables. “Can
we please sit down? This feels adversarial and I don’t want to
fight with you.”

“Your actions indicate otherwise.” He took a
seat facing her and Naloni motioned Max toward the sofa. With
obvious reluctance, he complied.

She folded her hands on the tabletop and took
a moment to study her father. He looked frazzled, dark circles
shadowed his eyes and his face had an unusual pallor. “Did you
arrest Tarhee and Mikko Xyell?”

“Yes. Their crimes are irrefutable and they
will be punished. I intend to bring charges against the founders as
well as many of their customers. Stevon has agreed to cooperate
fully with the investigation.” Sineth cleared his throat, his
effort to remain calm obvious.

“Have you located Dario?”

“One of my generals noticed an unauthorized
flight and intercepted the team upon their return. He found the
tunnel you mentioned and he is looking into Dario’s claims. Dario
is blaming his actions on the soldiers of course. He swears he was
only following orders.”

“What rubbish.”

“I agree. Now we are here to talk about you.
Stop distracting me. How did you become involved in all this?”

“There has been a network of people working
to temper the abuse from the beginning. They are called the
resistance. But the abuse became so widespread and twisted they
realized their efforts were not enough. That’s when Laetif Xyell
recruited Elaina.”

“Elaina is mixed up in this mess?” He shook
his head and scrubbed a hand over his lower face. “Why did no one
think to notify me? Am I so unapproachable?”

“If it had been anyone but Tarhee, they
wouldn’t have hesitated. But who wants to tell an emperor that his
heir is… If you’ve seen the vids, then you must understand why they
dreaded bringing this to your attention.”

“I’ve always known Tarhee had unusual
appetites, but I had no idea he had become so depraved. Of course I
love my son, but I am responsible for everything that happens
within my empire, not just my family.”

“We wanted more than rumors and speculation
before we brought our claims to you.”

He nodded. His gaze shadowed and sad. “So Max
is part of this resistance?”

“He is.”

“And in the course of one day you’ve fallen
hopelessly in love with him?” Sarcasm tinged his question and his
gaze locked with hers.

“Max and I have known each other much longer
than one day.”

“I suspected as much. Vito told me you had
fallen for one of his men, but he refused to give a name. I always
suspected it was one of the gladiators. You have a wildness in you
that couldn’t help but be drawn to their…savagery.” His gaze
drifted toward Max and then narrowed. “Has the affair been going on
all this time?”

“No. Max and I had a falling-out right before
Vito tracked me down. I tried to forget him, to live up to your
expectations of me, but my heart refused to consider anyone
else.”

Sineth sighed. Disappointment was clear in
his expression, but she wasn’t sure if he was disappointed with her
or himself. “A good ruler must balance the urges of the heart with
the logical dictates of the mind. Though I failed with my boys, I
thought you understood this.” Before she could respond to the
charge, he added, “My parents were furious when I chose your mother
as my wife. Her father was a colonist and they felt her blood was
tainted. My heart didn’t give a damn. I loved her and nothing and
no one was going to keep us apart.”

“I was unaware,” she murmured, not knowing
what else to say. Was he encouraging her to fight for Max? “All I
knew about Mother’s parents was that they died before I was
born.”

Sineth rested back in his chair and abruptly
changed the subject. “So here we are, with one hell of a mess to
clean up and I’ve little idea where to begin. When Vito originally
proposed Gladiator Games to me I was highly skeptical. But Vito
tended to succeed at whatever he set out to accomplish, and quite
frankly we needed the revenue.”

“Vito kept Tarhee in check. It was only after
Vito died that things spiraled out of control.”

He nodded. “But it doesn’t change the fact
New Pompeii was founded by this family. I allowed those people to
be brought here and they are my responsibility.”

He was getting at something, but Naloni
wasn’t sure what it was. The entire conversation was far different
than she had expected. He already knew most of the things she’d
thought to tell him. “The barrier has to come down. There is no way
around it. We cannot hold them prisoner any longer.”

“I agree, but how do we introduce them to
freedom without destroying their faith and overwhelming their
sensibilities?”

She hesitated. The perfect person to ask was
fidgeting on the sofa, obviously struggling to maintain his
silence. “We need input from the people directly affected by these
changes.”

“Again, I agree. And that’s why I’m
appointing you Governor of New Pompeii.”

Here was her opportunity. The old Naloni
would accept the position and grumble about his shortsightedness.
But today was the official debut of the new Naloni. “May I make a
suggestion?”

He seemed surprised by the question, but he
said, “Of course.”

“The people of New Pompeii will respond
better to one of their own. Allow me to serve as liaison between
their governing board and the Fedoran council, but I think Max
would make a far better governor. He is a natural leader and he
knows far more about the outside world than most of the people
inside the barrier.”

Sineth stood and made his way over to Max.
Ignoring protocol, Max pushed to his feet and met the emperor eye
to eye. “What are your intentions toward my daughter?”

“I love her with all my heart and I would be
honored to share her life in any capacity she will allow me.”

“Well, the only capacity
I
will allow
is as her lawfully joined spouse. Are you willing to make that sort
of commitment?”

Naloni’s heart hammered in her chest. She
didn’t want Max to feel pressured into this decision. When and if
they married, she wanted it to be because they both were ready for
that final step. She pushed back from the table and stood, trying
to catch his gaze.

“She is already the mate of my heart.” He
paused and looked at her, love shimmering in his eyes. “Any
ceremony your culture dictates is agreeable to me.”

Well, that wasn’t the most romantic proposal,
but her heart swelled with joy just the same. She smiled and he
turned back to her father.

“If you make her happy, I will be pleased,”
Sineth told Max. “If you manage to produce a son or two with her
shrewdness and your strength, I would be the happiest man alive. My
legacy is a bit of a mess right now.”

“What about Feztis?” Naloni crossed to stand
beside Max. “Vito and Elaina already provided you with a fine,
strong grandson.”

“Fez is my one and only heir at the moment.
That puts him at greater risk than ever before. I wasn’t suggesting
your children usurp the line of succession, simply expand it.”
Sineth glanced off into the distance and scratched his chin.
“Speaking of Elaina, where is she? Fez was asking about her this
morning.”

“Outpost Seven on Racine Colony,” she
supplied with a guilty smile.

“What in God’s name for?”

“She’s with a man named Theos. He took the
blame for something Max did. If they hadn’t diverted Mikko’s
attention away from Max, Mikko would probably have killed him.”

Sineth crossed his arms and shook his head,
but amusement brightened his eyes. “Let me guess, Theos is a
gladiator too and Elaina has fallen in love with him?”

Naloni laughed. “They are rather hard to
resist.”

“Tell Elaina she is to return to the palace
with all due haste. Mikko is no longer a concern and her son is
worried about her. In fact, as often as Fez gets distracted with
concerns over his mother, it might be best if she and this
gladiator found suitable apartments somewhere within the royal
compound.”

“She will be thrilled to obey. She hates
being separated from her son.”

“Good. Then we’re all agreed.” His gaze
shifted back to Max. “I’ll leave the specifics of New Pompeii in
your capable hands. When you have a workable plan of action, submit
it to me for final approval before implementation.”