Page 56 of Touch the Stars
He patted the cushion in invitation to sit, which she did.Not close enough to touch him, unfortunately.“How is your sister doing?”
“As well as can be expected, for someone who was abducted by aliens to be used as a hostage, rescued by Conan the Barbarian, had her head shaved for space lice, was dragged halfway across the galaxy to save my sorry ass—”
“It is notthatfar.”
She met his gaze pointedly.“It’smystory.”
“Very well.Please continue.”
“Where was I?”
“Saving your sorry ass.”
“Right.”She moved farther onto the cushion to sit facing him with her legs crossed.“Draggedhalfway across the galaxyto save my sorry ass, only to discover she’s the new empress of some empire neither of us knew existed.Oh, and she’s got the hots for Conan.”
“Excuse me?”
“Yeah.”She waved one hand as if to emphasis her point.“Even though she’s not talking to him right now unless she has to, she really, really likes Daarga the Ancient One.”
“But nothing can come of it.”Was Kristyn not aware of this yet?
Kaitlyn shrugged her shoulders.“Earthlings can be stubborn as shit, you know.”
That much he had figured out since the night in the desert of her home-world.Although how much excrement had to do with it was questionable.
“In truth, I believe he harbors deep feelings for her as well.”Which was worrisome, since the Ancient One in Daargashouldknow the futility of those feelings.
Her smile turned wistful.“He cured her, Baatar.Her diabetes is gone.”
And that was the real reason Daarga had won over one of the sisters.But it was the other sister who would decide if he remained in residence.If Kristyn sent away the only remaining Ancient One, she could face a revolt by some or all the remaining member planets.
“What do you think will happen to the Ragatians?”Kaitlyn’s question stirred him from his musings.
“I suspect one of the grand empress’s first duties will be to officially eject them from the empire for breaking the treaty.”Which could make them a very dangerous enemy.“After that, she will invite Earth in to fill the void.”
But that would have to wait until the envoy was chosen and sent.If Earth joined the empire, there would still be twenty planets, including Ghara.Balance would be restored.
“Ejecting the entire planet doesn’t seem very fair.”Kaitlyn’s expression had turned contemplative.“What about the children on Ragat, or the ones who didn’t agree with idea to overthrow the Ancient Ones and take over?”
“There are no innocents on Ragat, nor are there children.They come into the universe as full-grown adults, full of bloodlust and ready for war.”
She gave him an open-mouthed look of astonishment.“How the hell do they do that?”
“I do not know.”It was not natural, though.“The Ragatians keep that information secure.No one has been able to solve the mystery.”
“Well, that’s creepy as fuck.”She squished her nose into a grimace, then her smile returned.“So, when does your family get here?”
A feeling of warmth filled his chest.“They arrive in three days.”
“Guess that doesn’t leave us much time.”She tilted her head to one side, a light of mischief twinkled in her eyes.
“Time, for what?”
She crawled across the cushion toward him, her mouth quirked in a sultry half-smile.“Playtime.”
“Hm.”He grasped her by her shoulders and dragged her against his body.His cock rose to greet her from inside his pants.“There is something we must discuss first.”
She chuckled.“Oh, yeah?And what’s that, my rock-hard alien?”
