Wray (19 page)

“On the Searcher.” Wray told her glaring at
his warriors who quickly lowered their eyes. “Once we have, I will
take you to medical so Healer Yakar can examine you.”

“I’m fine.” She told him.

“You need the deep repair unit
,
Kim. I want to make sure you have properly
healed."

“What
you
want doesn’t really matter,
your Majesty.” Kim said stiffly and found herself wanting to flinch
at the hurt that filled Wray's eyes before they went blank.

"You will see Yakar, Kim." He ordered
unbuckling
t
he harness and standing up,
his voice as hard and stiff as his body had become. "Even if I have
to carry you there kicking and screaming."

Kim quickly forgot about the other males and
unbuckled her own harness to stand and jab a finger in Wray’s
chest. "You wouldn't dare." She hissed.

"Try me." Wray growled lowering his head so
she could see the determination in his eyes.

Kim's eyes widened as she realized Wray
really would carry her out of here if she didn’t go willingly. What
had happened to her gentle warrior?

"What had happened to his caring
female?”
The quiet words whispered through Kim’s mind.

“Fine.” She said quietly. “But he doesn’t
touch me.”

“No one touches you
,
Kim.” He assured her, making sure every male heard him and stepped
back, allowing her to pass. “No one but me.” He said for her ears
alone
.

Kim didn’t like Healer Yakar. Didn’t like him
at all. It was in the way he stared at her, as if she were some bug
he’d like to dissect before he turned his attention to Wray.

“Majesty, you are injured.” Yakar’s eyes
traveled over the scratches that still marred his cheek.

“I am fine. Empress Kim needs the deep repair
unit.”

“Kim?” Yakar looked at him questioningly.

“Yes,” Wray gestured to her. “this is my
Empress.”

“She appears fine to me
,
sire.” Yakar said dismissively. “You
,
on the other hand
,
need
treatment or you may be considered as unworthy as your
brother.”

“What did you just say?” Wray demanded in a
deceptively quiet voice.

“I… my apologies
,
sire.” Yakar paled at the rage in the Emperor’s face. “I meant no
disrespect to King Grim. I just don’t want you to be scarred
also.”

Kim looked from Wray to Yakar and more of
what Wray had told her in the cave clicked into place.

Grim.

Wray’s brother.

King Grim.

The King of Luda.

Always a blood relative to the Emperor.

Wray
had
told her the truth. But only
parts of it.

“What’s wrong with your brother?” Kim
asked.

“There is nothing
wrong
with Grim.”
Wray growled so angrily that Yakar cringed. Kim did not.

“Then why does he,” she gestured to Yakar,
“consider him unworthy?” she said ignoring Yakar’s gasp. “You said
Fala and Gyula were unworthy. Is your brother like them?” Kim
refused to stop asking her questions, even as Wray’s face darkened
with each one.

“Grim is nothing like Fala and Gyula!” Wray
ground out through clenched teeth. “He is the fittest, strongest,
most worthy male I know! He would
never
attack or abuse a
female.”

“Then why is he considered unfit?” Kim
demanded. She wasn’t going to let this drop. She couldn’t just
accept Wray’s word anymore, not after everything he’d held back
from her.

“Because he’s
scarred
.” Wray spit out
and waited for Kim to say she now understood and agreed with Yakar,
instead she frowned.

“So?” she asked.

“Tornian females believe that because he is
scarred he will be unable to protect them and refuse to consider
him for Joining.”

“Meaning he will have no offspring.”

“Yes.”

“Your females are seriously messed up,
Wray.”

“I cannot argue with that
,
Kim.” Wray said and found his anger leaving at her
easy acceptance of Grim.

“Why is he scarred?” Kim asked, looking down
at her fingers.

“He was attacked on his way to meet a female.
The attackers died and he was severely injured.”

“But if he,” Kim nodded to the Healer. “can
heal what I did to you
, w
hy does Grim have
scars?”

“You did this!” Yakar exclaimed, but Wray
ignored him.

“These,” Wray gestured to his face, “and
these,” he said, taking her hands
,
“are
easily treated by the deep repair unit. Grim’s injuries were caused
by a Tornian blade. It leaves a residue that the repair units
cannot remove and therefore it scars.”

“Oh.”

“Let’s get you into the repair
unit
,
Kim.” Wray said softly.

“After your face is healed.”

“Kim…”

“I did that to you
,
Wray
,
and I want it healed. I won’t get
into the repair unit until it’s done.”

“The Emperor does not need the deep repair
unit.” Yakar told her in a cold voice that said he thought she was
stupid. “A hand held unit will repair the damage you have
caused.”

“Then
do
it.” Kim shot him an
angry
look
,
her
voice just as cold as his.

“Get the unit
,
Yakar.” Wray ordered. “I would have this done so Kim can be
treated.”

“Yes
,
Majesty.”

Kim watched as Yakar slowly ran a strange
device over the scratches on Wray’s face for several minutes and
they disappeared.

“Done
,
Majesty.”
Yakar said and put the device aside before turning to Kim, his cold
eyes running over her. “Remove your coverings.” He ordered.

“That is soooo not happening.” Kim said and
took a quick step back when he reached for her.

“Do not touch her
,
Yakar.” Wray’s low order had the Healer immediately freezing.

“But sire, I need to physically examine her.
While she appears to be similar to our females, we don’t know that
for sure. A physical examination is the only way to know if she can
successfully breed with one of our males.”

“Successfully breed…” Kim hissed.

“That does not matter
,
Yakar
,
and you
will not
touch her
!” Wray said, grabbing the Healer when he reached for
Kim again.

“But sire!”

“Prepare the deep repair unit, then leave.”
Wray ordered.

“But your Majesty…”

“Now
,
Yakar!”

“Yes
,
sire.”

Wray silently watched Kim as Yakar prepared
the deep repair unit then left. He knew the Healer’s words had
upset her. He knew she was going to have questions, questions he
was going to have to answer honestly, if he didn’t want to lose
her.

“It is not necessary for you to be naked for
the deep repair unit to work, Kim.”

“Then why did Yakar demand it?”

“You are a species he has never encountered
before. He wished to visually inspect you.”

“He can take his ‘visually inspect me’ and
shove it up his ass!” Kim spit out angrily.

“I am sorry
,
Kim. I
should have realized he would consider it necessary.”

“It’s not happening.”

“No
,
it is not. I
will be the only one allowed to see the beauty of your naked
form.”

Kim was silent for several seconds, shocked
by his words then shook her head. “I don’t understand
you
,
Wray…” Kim took several steps away
from him before turning back to face him. “You allow Fala and Gyula
to
attack
me, but you refuse to let a Healer
see
me.”

“I did not allow it!” Wray vehemently
denied.

“You let them
go
!” Kim fired back.
“You said they did nothing
wrong
!”

“I did
not
! I said they broke
no
law
! I am the Emperor! I, more than any other
,
must follow the
law
!”

“How can it be the
law
that your males
are allowed to rape any female they want! How is that any different
than what Lucan did!”

“It is an ancient law that has been corrupted
to the point that it is now a farce of what it once was.”

“Then why haven’t you gotten rid of it?”

“Because until now I didn’t realize it was
being used in this way.” Wray said running a disheartened hand
through his hair. “For
any
Tornian male, let alone ones from
my Guard, to think they have the right to abuse a female…
any
female is unacceptable.”

“What is this law
,
Wray?”

“It came into being before Lucan’s reign,
when females were plentiful and our males could have offspring with
any species. It started out as a law that protected a female and
her offspring. It made a male assume responsibility for
any
female he Joined with that presented him with offspring.”

“That seems like a good thing, a male should
be responsible for his offspring and the female that gave them to
him.”

“Yes, it was a good law, but then after the
great infection non-Tornian females were unable to present fit
offspring and the law was changed.”

“What makes offspring ‘fit’?” Kim asked.

“Nearly all offspring presented by
non-Tornian females are without life and those that live are most
often considered unfit because they are unable to function in our
society. They are…” Wray looked to the ceiling searching for the
words. “I cannot express it properly
,
Kim,
not in a way you will understand, but a male must have a fit
offspring to continue his line. One that can be productive in some
way. If his offspring cannot do this he is considered ‘unfit’.”

“And most non-Tornian offspring are not able
to do this.”

“No, they are not.”

“What changed the law
,
Wray?”

“It was changed so a Tornian male was only
responsible for a Tornian female and her offspring.”

“Why would they do that?”

“Because we needed fit offspring. It was
never intended to allow a male to
abuse
non-Tornian females.
It just made him not responsible for the unfit offspring, allowing
him to still Join with a Tornian female.”

“But it does, allow it.”

“Yes and I will work on correcting the law
once we return to Tornian.” He put a gentle finger across her lips
when she opened her mouth. “I cannot just change a law
,
Kim. It doesn’t’ work that way. It must go before
the Assembly of Lords and a vote must be taken. I do not know if
you are used to this…”

“It is like that on most of the Earth, no one
person can just change a law.”

“Then you understand. Now, will you let the
deep repair unit treat you? My vow that it will cause you no
harm.”

“I feel fine.”

“Please
,
Kim…” Wray
begged. “I want to be sure. The portable repair unit I used on the
Ganglian ship could only do so much. If anything should happen to
you now that I’ve found you, I don’t know what I would do.”

Kim silently looked at Wray for several
seconds, then nodded. “Okay.” She saw the instant relief that
filled Wray’s face before he led her to what looked like a high
bed.

“This is the deep repair unit
,
Kim.” Wray gestured to the bed. “All you have to do
is lie down and the top will close.”

“It closes?” All of a sudden Kim wasn’t sure
she wanted to get into it.

“Yes, but not all the way.” Wray quickly
reassured her. “You will be able to see me through the lid if you
wish and you can speak. Will you let me help you into it?”

“I… yes.” Kim nodded and Wray’s hands quickly
encircled her waist and lifted her onto the bed.

“All you need to do is lie back
,
Kim. The unit will do the rest.”

“You’ll stay with me?” Her eyes silently
pleaded with him.

“Of course.” Wray said. “I am not leaving
you
,
Kim.”

Nodding, she laid back.

Kim laid in the unit, looking through the
glass cover at Wray, who, true to his word, never moved from her
side. The unit hummed softly and she could see different colored
lights moving up and down the cover but she felt nothing.

“Is it working?” she asked.

“Yes
,
Kim.” Wray
said, his eyes moving to something she couldn’t see.

“But I don’t feel anything.”

“Trust me, it is.” He told her.

“Can I?” she asked softly and saw his eyes
shoot back to her in confusion. “You’ve lied to me
,
Wray. Repeatedly. How am I supposed to trust you
now?”

Wray’s heart drop at Kim’s words. He knew he
had damaged her trust by not telling her he was the Emperor and
then again for not punishing Fala and Gyula but had he lost it
completely?

“You can
,
Kim, ask
me anything and I will answer you honestly.”

“How am I supposed to know what to ask
you
,
Wray? I don’t know your world. I
don’t know what you lied to me about. I stupidly believed
everything you told me.”

“You are not stupid
,
Kim.” Wray immediately denied. “You were already dealing with being
taken by the Ganglians and knew nothing about the world you’d been
thrust into. I took advantage of that by telling you only what
I
wanted you to know. I will never do that again.”

“You’ll tell me the truth, even if it makes
you look bad?”

“Yes.”

“Is Adana really dead?” Kim asked the
question that bothered her most. Had her initial gut reaction been
correct?