Page 8 of Tamed

Unlike the other females Verbet fucked, and there were many, Domar was his intellectual equal. She had been well educated and their conversations were nearly as stimulating as the pleasure they shared. She had been his favorite for several years now, and he saw no reason to replace her. “I have no wish to leave Torret, so I can attempt to reconcile with Jevara or make a move against him.”

“Jevara sent you on a mission that nearly cost you your life, then disregarded how close you had come to death and treated you like a servant. Can that sort of disrespect be forgiven?”

When a group of hunters found forty-some conduits on Earth, this star system had lost its collective mind. Jevara was no exception. He was determined to possess a power triad and Verbet had foolishly volunteered to ambush the hunters and deliver one or more conduits to his power-hungry brother. But there had been a small complication with his plan. Unbeknownst to Verbet, a fully armed warship had accompanied the hunters and the ensuing fight had resulted in the explosion of Verbet’s ship. His entire crew had been obliterated by the blast and Verbet would have followed them into the hereafter if it hadn’t been for Mistress Air and her temple of healers. Even with their intervention, it had taken repeated sessions in a regeneration pod to restore Verbet to health.

Domar was right. Jevara’s reaction to the tragedy had been inexcusable, and it proved beyond a doubt that he was irredeemable. “Insurrection it is.”

She nodded, then crossed her arms under her breasts, drawing his attention to the plump mounds. Even as she continued the conversation, it was obvious that she would rather fuck. “Do you want to replace him or do you just want him gone?”

Verbet would be happy to oblige her, but not until this issue was resolved. “I know damn well I’d be a better ruler than he is, but I’m not sure that’s how I want to spend the rest of my life. Ruling a planet is a lot of work, and I’m rather lazy.”

“At least you admit your faults.” She chuckled then leaned her shoulder against the window frame. “If not you, then who?”

That question was harder to answer. If Jevara were dead, Verbet was the only person remaining with royal blood in their veins. Was it time for Torret to have a representative government? He disregarded the idea before the question had fully formed. “Torret has always been an absolute monarchy. Jevara must be replaced. The rabble is not capable of self-governing. Torretians wouldn’t know what to do with that sort of freedom or responsibility.”

“I agree with you, but the rebels would not.”

He shot her a sidelong glare. “The rebellion proves my point. They are disobedient children incapable of bringing about constructive change. The factions within the rebellion can’t even decide on how to proceed. How the fuck would they rule the entire planet?”

Her lips parted in a blinding smile. “Which only proves that there is only one solution to this problem.” She waited until he faced her to add, “You need to replace Jevara. No one knows Torret the way you do.”

He didn’t argue with her, but neither did he agree. He turned back to the window and stared out into the night. “I need to look into Jevara’s eyes one final time,” he concluded after a long thoughtful pause. “He is my brother. I need to make absolutely sure that he cannot be rehabilitated before I agree to move against him.”

“Would he offer you the same courtesy?” Challenge gleamed in her dark eyes.

His gaze locked with hers, but he said nothing.

She eased in front of him then gently pushed him back. “You’ve brooded enough for tonight.” She unknotted the belt on her robe and pulled the garment open. With her lush young body on display, she sank to her knees. Her agile fingers opened his pants and drew out his cock. “Enjoy the view, my love, but think only of me.”

“No one is going to volunteer to go to Houkdi,” Jessie protested from the back of the room. “That planet is a primitive wasteland. Your plan is ridiculous.”

Kendra watched Eden fight for composure. Jessie had interrupted her repeatedly and argued with everything Eden said. Kendra had hoped that training would teach Jessie some self-control, maybe help her develop a social filter. No such luck. Jessie was still the abrasive bitch she’d been back on Earth. What she needed was a strict controller to adjust her attitude, but who wanted to bond with someone so unlikable?

Eden stood at the front of one of the larger classrooms. She wanted to make sure everyone ended up with the same information, so she conducted a single meeting. “Every month two conduits will be sent to each of the four planets,” Eden explained. “This will continue until everyone has chosen a planet.”

“I volunteer for Altor,” Jessie called out. Her brows arched in silent challenge but she didn’t say any more.

“Me too,” Heather, Jessie’s roommate joined in.

“That’s not fair!”

“You can’t reward them for being obnoxious.”

“Jessie’s right. First come, first served is not going to work.”

The responses came so fast that Kendra couldn’t keep track of who said what. Eden had the right idea, but the system needed more structure.

“We should be allowed to choose our destination,” Kendra interjected once the flurry of objections calmed down. “However, there needs to be a list, an order in which we make our selections.”

“But who gets to make the list?” Heather wanted to know.

“The mentors could rank us according to skill level,” Maria suggested.

“No way,” Jessie protested. “Most of our skills have to do with how close we are to activation and my power is still locked down tight.”

“The closer we are to activation, the more important it is that we bond,” Maria countered. “A combination of merit and need is the only fair way.”

“Says you.” Jessie thought for a moment, then decided, “The list needs to be random. Let the computer generate a list.”

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