Forbidden

Chapter Three

Still wrapped in the bed sheet, Anna walked around the stark room where she and Kahn had been staying since he had taken her from Earth. The only furniture seemed to be the large bed and a small table with one chair. There were two doors, one of which was open, the room beyond it dark. The color scheme was a colorful gray, dark gray and more gray. Even the bedclothes were gray. There appeared to be bare steel for floor, walls and ceiling with only a thin rug for carpeting. The only sound was a quiet but ever-present roar.

“How long before we get to my son?”

“The Kol’cha , my flagship, is the fastest ever built. We should arrive at Gothe’mar in about ten hours.”

“Once we get there, when will I get my son back?”

Kahn smiled gently at her. “We will go straight to Medical Command. It will take several hours for them to complete the restabilization process, but we will be there for all of it if you wish.”

“I wish. Definitely.”

Trust him. Those words were so easy to say, yet so hard to do. What could she do? Never in her wildest dreams did she ever imagine she’d get her son back. Now the only way that was going to happen was if this man decided to take her to him.

She continued to quietly pace the room. Finally deciding she needed a bath, she turned to Kahn. “I need to clean up. Is there a shower I can use?”

Kahn looked at her for a long moment, as though sizing her up. “There is a bath. Let me show you.”

He led her to the open door, and the lights came on when she stepped over the threshold. There was no toilet, but a huge, oval shaped pool surrounded by exotic, very colorful plants -- the only color in the whole place.

“Thank you,” she said, and turned her back on him, expecting him to leave. She wasn’t surprised, though, when she felt his large hand on her bare shoulder.

“Anna,” he whispered, hoarsely. She knew he was hurting. He tried to hide it with smiles and kindnesses but she knew he desperately wanted her to trust him. To love him. Part of her did. But another part of her knew that he could have found her at any time and brought her son to her.

Shrugging him off, she climbed into the water, and slid beneath until only her head remained above it. He turned to leave, and she had intended to let him go, but the thought of being alone was unbearable. “Wait.”

He half turned to her, his expressionless face grating on her nerves. Why couldn’t the man just fucking say what was on his mind!

“Because it’s not in my nature. But I will try to be more open with you.”

She forced a breath of air out of her lungs in frustration. “Then why don’t you just tell me what you want from me? I can’t feel you, and I can’t read your expression… you’re going to have to give me a little help here.”

He took a step toward her. Okay, so it was more like he was stalking her than simply moving in her direction, but she tried to ignore that.

“I want you, tarae . I want your body and your mind. Your soul already belongs to me, but I want you to acknowledge it freely.”

Maybe too much wasn’t good either. “Kahn, I don’t even know if I like you or not. I’m certainly not in love with you. I know that’s what you’re getting at. I can feel it now.”

“But you want me. I feel that in you.”

Much as she wanted to deny it, she couldn’t. She couldn’t be around him without wanting to feel his body against hers again. As his hungry gaze raked her naked form beneath the water, a fresh rush of heat exploded through her body. She didn’t need to be able to hear his thoughts to know what was on his mind.

She was supposed to be mad at him, but she was finding it difficult to concentrate when he stalked her in all his naked glory, his cock jutting out proudly from the dark curls between his legs.

“I need you. I’ve never needed a woman more.”

Anna desperately wanted nothing more than to welcome him into her arms, her body, but she couldn’t. Not now. Not until she knew for sure he was the man she hoped he was.

“Kahn, you’ve got to give me some space. I can’t do this until I know for sure I can live with the consequences.”

He paused as he slid into the water behind her. “All right, tarae . We’ll take it slow.” He kneaded her shoulders, lessening the tension she hadn’t realized was there. She sighed at the exquisite pleasure.

“Tell me something. What does that name mean you keep calling me?”

“Well.” Kahn took a deep breath. “ Tarae are domesticated pets, but still one of the most vicious creatures on Gothe’mar.” Kahn moved closer, his breath tickling the back of her neck. “But the thing about tarae is, they breed so fast, if they didn’t have a natural enemy they would probably take over the planet.”

“Uh huh.” Anna got a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach. “The point?”

“The predator that hunts the tarae is a very large, winged creature like a falcon or hawk on Earth but much, much bigger. He must hunt, and eat , many tarae a day if he is to survive.”

“Uh huh.” She was repeating herself, but when his mouth slid over her neck, when she could feel his immense need of her, her vocabulary dried up and her IQ dropped fifty points. “Does this bird have a name?” she asked, looking back at him.

His grin became positively wicked. “They are called a kahn .”

Heat suffused her body at the implication. He would have her. It was inevitable, and she knew it with every fiber of her being. Her only dilemma was trust. She couldn’t take the chance now. If he was right and she was about to have her son back, she couldn’t be with a man she didn’t trust.

But her body had other plans. He resumed his gentle massage and his hands on her bare shoulders and back sent tingling shivers straight to her pussy. She groaned and leaned into him. His lips were back at her neck and jaw as he kissed a path from ear to collarbone. If he didn’t stop, she’d throw herself at him again. She had to stop this somehow before she did something she’d regret.

Pushing away from him, she slid beneath the water’s surface. Eyes closed, face upturned, she came out of the water, smoothing her hair back from her head. She turned away from him, moving to the other side of the small pool before turning around. When she did, she couldn’t miss the ravenous look in his eyes.

They sat there in the water staring at each other a long moment before Kahn finally broke the silence. “You make going slowly difficult.”

His sultry voice made her wish things were different. She wanted simply to go to him, fuck him senseless, until neither of them could move. Her breasts felt heavy and full. She knew without looking that her nipples were hard. All she had to do was brush her fingers against them, squeeze them, and she’d be so hot for him, she might be able to forget why she shouldn’t fuck him.

“Touch yourself, tarae ,” Kahn whispered. “If you won’t let me give you pleasure, please yourself. Let me watch.”

Anna was helpless to do anything but what he asked. She desperately needed release. Her own need was bad enough, but she could feel what he wanted from her as well, and it was driving her mad with unfulfilled desire. It was like her dreams all over again.

Her hands found her breasts and she massaged the full globes. Filling her hands, she pushed her breasts together and licked each tip impulsively. She shuddered at the sensation her own tongue created. Taking one peak into her mouth, she sucked and nipped gently, sending a flood of warmth straight to her cunt.

She didn’t know if the moan was hers or Kahn’s, but the sound was definitely encouraging. Sliding one hand to her pussy, she ran a finger along her folds until she reached the small opening and dipped the finger inside. Savoring the sensations, she then circled her clit several times until her hips rocked in time with the movement of her fingers.

Making eye contact with Kahn was not the smartest thing she’d ever done, but once she did, she couldn’t look away. Nor could she simply sit there with him so close and not want him to touch her. She needed to come and she didn’t think she’d be satisfied with anything less than his cock pounding deep inside her.

He rose and moved toward her slowly. When he reached her, his hand shot out to her hair and he pulled her head back roughly so that she looked up at him. The fear that coursed through her at his forceful gesture, and the evidence of his straining control blazing in his eyes, made her even more aroused.

Not bothering to ask permission, he grabbed her by the waist and lifted her to sit on the edge, spreading her legs and diving between them with his face. Anna thought she’d die, the waves of pleasure were so intense. Her clit burned where his tongue touched it, and her breasts tingled with each touch of her fingers and mouth. Kahn’s heady growls were a powerful aphrodisiac and she almost came.

Almost.

Before she could stop it, a vision of her son’s bloodied body filled her mind and all thoughts of sexual release vanished, leaving her empty and a little ashamed.

* * *

Raising his head, Kahn sighed. He kissed her belly and hugged her middle a moment while he got his breathing under control again. He had pushed her too hard. Once again, he’d let her down. When would he ever stop making mistakes with the only woman in the entire universe that mattered to him?

“I’m sorry,” he said, muffled by her abdomen. “Forgive me.”

Anna clutched his head to her middle. He could feel her shame, but also her need for him to anchor her in such a difficult time for her. She was trying to put aside her own wishes for the welfare of her son and for that he thought he might die from loving her. Anna was everything a Gothe’maran man could want in a wife.

Desperately needing to get her talking to him, to help her be comfortable with him again, he turned to the subject most on her mind. “Tell me about your life on Earth, tarae .”

“You never ask the easy questions, do you?” Anna took a deep breath. “I’d never given the future much thought beyond looking for you. I wasn’t even sure I would find you.”

Kahn smiled. “I know, sweet. But now . What do you want from the future?”

Anna thought a moment. “I’m really not sure. Beyond getting my son back and him being whole and healthy, I don’t know what more I could ask of the future.” She thought for a moment. “I suppose I never really cared what happened to me before you found me at the Front. My thought was to get to you by any means necessary, but I never truly expected to ever see Kahn the Merciless a second time. I think I just wanted the nightmare my life had become to be over. Either you’d find me and explain the madness happening on Earth or the Gothe’maran would kill me. Either way, that phase of my life would be over.”

“And what of your life before?”

Anna swallowed. “I loved my husband deeply.” Her voice was husky, rough. “My little boy? It goes without saying that I loved him more than my own life. I would have given my own to save his, but they came out of nowhere. I didn’t have time to act, to prevent anything. When it was over, what could I have done that would have made any difference? Your scientists may be able to bring Alexander back to life, but I knew ours couldn’t. I worked in the medical field ten years before the Pilot incident. I knew nothing would save either Alex or Mark.”

Anna retreated, gliding to the opposite edge of the bath without turning to face him. “My life was happy, Kahn. Every married couple has problems and we were no exception, but I would have gladly spent the rest of my life with him, raising our son.” Kahn felt the emotion compress her chest. She hurt talking about this.

The gentle lapping of the water was loud in the ensuing silence as he moved to gently touch her shoulder. “If I gave you the opportunity, would you give your account of what happened at the Pilot?”

Anna wiped tears from her cheeks with the heels of her hands and sniffed. “Why? What good could possibly come of it?”

He hesitated, unsure how to phrase his next statement. “When we get to Gothe’mar, there will be a trial going on. The man responsible for leading the rebel warriors to Earth is being tried for what your people would call crimes against humanity. There are statements that he alone was responsible for recruiting the warriors he unleashed on your planet, and that he gave them explicit instructions to wipe out every living thing on your planet save fertile females, but there have been no witnesses from Earth to describe firsthand what actually happened from Earth’s perspective.” Kahn gently turned her to face him, his eyes locked to hers, waiting for a reaction. “Mikkril says Earth was in the middle of a civil war when they got there. They were only trying to end the killing.”

Anna gasped. “But you saw them kill my family!”

“No, Anna. I saw them vaporize your husband’s body and come after you. I didn’t see them actually kill anyone. After that incident, the only killing I saw was my warriors killing Mikkril’s.”

Rage almost consumed her. She wanted to lash out, to hit something. To kill something… someone. Kahn couldn’t blame her. “So you’re telling me there is a possibility your people will be convinced we did this to ourselves? We killed each other on such a massive scale? What about the death camps? How will he explain them?”

“Your history is replete with similar incidents, as is our own. As is just about every race in the universe. It’s not uncommon. You can prove that’s not what happened.”

“What about Alex’s injuries? He was hit with a Gothe’maran weapon. Won’t that make a difference?”

“Certainly. Medical Command will testify to such, but they need your account to back them up and fill in the rest of the story.” He lowered himself into the water so that he was face to face with her, looking at her from eye level instead of towering over her. “Can you do this?”

The determination to avenge her son and husband in the only way given to her was very strong. She would get her point across to the king. She would make him see Mikkril for what he really was. A murderer.

“I’ll do whatever you need me to, Kahn.”

He enfolded her in his strong embrace then. Nuzzling her hair with his chin, kissing her temple. Simply holding her. And she let him. He drew some comfort in that. “I’m sorry, tarae . All this has been more difficult on you than it had to be and I am the cause. I should have told you about Alex from the start.”

“I guess I’m as much to blame as you are. I’m the one who practically attacked you when I first woke up.” She smiled, a little, sad smile. “Just let me work it out. I will, in time.”

“I know you will. Unfortunately, there is something else.”

“There’s more?” Her disbelief and dismay were clear.

“Yes. And I honestly don’t know how to explain the rest to you. It will be difficult for you when we reach Gothe’mar, and there will be little I can do to help until the trial is over.”

“What do you mean, ‘difficult’?” Her wariness sharpened her features, and she looked at him through narrowed eyes.

Before he could answer, the intercom chimed softly.

Kahn swore under his breath. “Speak,” he barked.

“General, Military Command requests you speak with them immediately.” The voice was clipped, but neutral. He tried to bury his apprehension, but wasn’t sure how well he succeeded. Here it comes .

“Alex?” she whispered. Kahn shushed her with a quick touch of his finger to her lips and a kiss to her forehead.

“Inform them I will contact them at once. Establish the link to my office in ten minutes. Kahn out.”

He focused on her once more. “No. If something were wrong with Alex, Medical Command would be the one to contact me.” He paused, warring with his sense of duty and his sense of responsibility to her. He could see by the look on her face that she knew something wasn’t right.

“Kahn?” She searched his eyes, his face, his mind.

“You said you trusted me for now. Can you trust me a little farther?”

“What’s that got to do with this? What’s happening?” she asked without answering his question. She wasn’t going to deal well with this. Not that he blamed her.

“I don’t have time to explain now and I may not see you again until we dock.” His grip on her shoulders tightened. “Whatever happens, believe in me. I promise, I’ll take care of you and Alex. Whatever the cost.”

“You’re scaring me, Kahn.” Her face had gone pale and he could feel the adrenaline rush through her body as if she were preparing for battle.

“Don’t be scared, tarae . I’ll take care of everything. You just have to trust me.”

Anna replied softly, “That’s a lot to ask.”

Kahn sighed as he got out of the bath and dressed. It wasn’t much, but at least she hadn’t completely rejected him. Before he left her, he looked at her one last time. “I love you, tarae . If you never believe anything else I tell you, believe that. Cling to that no matter what happens.”

Kissing her lightly on the mouth, he left.

* * *

Kahn’s presence hadn’t actually been required for the curt statement from Military Command that he cease all contact with Anna. His father could simply have issued the order and been done with it. As head of Military Command, Kahn knew Kerrek had a job to do. As his father, Kerrek knew that if he extracted a promise from his son face to face, Kahn would not break that promise. Not that Kahn had been given a chance to explain the situation. The order was given, Kahn had acknowledged the order, and the “conversation” had been terminated.

Damn them all!

He could only guess what Mikkril had said to shift the blame from himself. Well, Kahn supposed he’d find out soon enough.

They were docking on the main spaceport orbiting Gothe’mar. They were here and Anna still didn’t know the prejudices that awaited her when she actually met Mikkril. If his people felt the same as Mikkril, if they were not willing to accept an off-worlder mate to their future king, Kahn wasn’t sure what he’d do. As current ruler, Kerrek could smooth things over a bit if he chose to, but would he? Kahn could only guess what was in his father’s mind.

Still, Kahn had promised to take Anna to Alex first thing, and that was what he intended to do. He just hoped he didn’t have to disobey too many commands to get it done. Duty had never seemed so heavy. And it struck him that nothing had ever been more important to him than his duty to his planet and his people.

Until now.

* * *

When the two warriors came to escort her to the planet’s surface, Anna was a little disappointed. She had expected Kahn would be there to take her to her son. Instead, the two silent giants flanking her took her to a small spacecraft that was to carry them to the surface of Gothe’mar. No matter how many times she tried to get the sentinels to tell her where Kahn was, she got no answer. In fact neither of them spoke to her, or even looked at her, except to give her orders.

Time seemed to crawl as the three of them sat in silence during the two-hour trip to the surface. Why they had to take a spacecraft at all was a mystery to Anna. She remembered vividly having her son vanish from her arms, and watching Kahn disappear. It seemed like a wasted effort, but she’d endure it. In silence. She’d be damned if she’d complain even once.

When she finally exited the tiny craft, she was met by Kahn and three other imposing looking men. The relieved smile she flashed him faded as she caught the look in Kahn’s eyes. Merciless didn’t even begin to describe it. She could feel the desperate hope within him that she’d trust him, but beyond that nothing else. And his features certainly gave away nothing.

“Medical Command has recommended you be present when they awaken your son,” one of them said. Funny, he looked remarkably like Kahn. His expression gave away nothing, but something in his voice disturbed her. He sounded almost… disgusted. Like he was looking at a particularly revolting insect. “I am Kerrek. You will come with us.”

Anna gave Kahn a brief, questioning look before nodding her agreement. She didn’t think she could have spoken if she wanted to, she was so nervous. She was going to get her son back!

The foursome led her down a series of crowded hallways, each becoming less and less congested. When they reached a hall leading to a large, gray door, Anna found her entourage was alone. No one spoke until they finally stopped before the entrance and Kerrek turned to her.

“You will do as instructed by the doctor without question,” he said.

“Of course. Thank you for letting me be with my son for this.”

The man just looked at her. When he spoke, disdain and contempt oozed from every word. “You are here because Medical believes it will be less stressful for the boy. Your feelings in this matter are of no concern to me or anyone else. If it were not for Medical’s strong insistence you be present, you wouldn’t be.”

Anna was stunned. Something was very wrong. She looked to Kahn, but he was not facing her, nor was anyone else. He desperately wanted her trust, though. She could feel the need beating at her stronger than any of his emotions ever had before. The necessity for trust was so powerful, it created a stabbing pain in her temple and she almost fell to her knees.

Somehow, she managed to walk steadily through the door when it whooshed open. In the center of the room was an incubator-like contraption. Knowing in her heart that machine was where her son lay, she headed for it, unbidden. A vise-like grip on her shoulder stopped her, causing her to wince. One of her escorts effectively, and painfully, halted her approach. He never once looked at her.

A very tall, very slender man was working at the various terminals surrounding the place where her son rested. He looked up as soon as the doors closed again.

“Is this the mother?”

“It is,” Kerrek acknowledged.

“She has no weapons of any kind?”

“None. My son brought her here and has assured me she carries no weapon. She can do no harm you will not be able to prevent.”

Anna’s head whipped around to the man she now realized was Kahn’s father. Did this man think she would harm the people who had saved her son’s life? “I would never try to hurt anyone who has tried to help Alex.”

“Silence!” he roared at her, his face a mask of unbelievable anger. “To even presume you would be capable of doing harm to someone in Medical Command is ludicrous. We are concerned that you would undo all the good this man has done for the baby.”

“What?” Anna whispered. She simply couldn’t believe what he was implying.

“It may be acceptable to terminate your own children on Earth, but on Gothe’mar, you would forfeit your own life for even attempting it. We protect our children.” The superior, condescending look combined with the rage flashing in the man’s eyes was completely wasted on Anna.

She was lost in her own rage.

Before she could even form the thought, she backhanded him with all her strength using her closed fist. Everyone in the room moved to subdue her. One of the big men slapped her hard enough to split her lip. Still another hit her full in the stomach, then her side as she bent double. But even though the force of the blows made her want to vomit, they could not stop the fight in her, or stem her words. “How dare you! Your people slaughtered my people by the millions, including my husband and my child!” She struggled against the impossibly tight male hands holding her back from further attacking Kahn’s father. “I don’t know who you are or what your function is on this Godforsaken planet, but if you want to blame someone for killing that baby over there, look in the mirror. You! Your people! Your warriors!” Anna continued to lash out at her captors, even Kahn when she recognized his presence to her left. She kicked and scratched, even bit when she could. “Alex was killed by a Gothie weapon!” Her voice dripped disdain. “Even if I was able to take the damn thing from one of your warriors, how could I possibly know how to use it?”

Kahn’s father looked to the doctor who was shielding the incubator with his own body. The doctor nodded. “The child was killed by a standard issue destabilizer. I do not know if Earth possesses anything similar but in order to fire one of ours, she would have to have been fitted with a controller chip specific to the weapon in question. I found no such chip in the data files when she was scanned upon boarding General Kahn’s ship. She would not have been able to fire any weapon of our world without it, and would not have been able to remove it without leaving trace particles.”

“Do they have anything similar, Kahn?”

“They do not, Father.” Kahn’s voice was soft.

“You’re sure?”

“Absolutely. Besides, when I got to this woman and the boy, she had not even drawn her weapon and there were no Gothe’maran weapons near her.” Kahn’s voice was carefully controlled. Even through her anger and grief, she sensed his wariness, his unwillingness to give away too much. God! She hated not knowing what was going on! And at this moment, she hated Kahn most of all.

“Did you see a warrior kill her husband or her son?” Kahn’s father looked openly inquisitive. It was obvious this information was new to him. Information he wasn’t sure he liked but, since it came from his son, he had no choice but to believe.

“No, but I did witness a warrior disintegrate the body of her husband. That warrior’s attitude was not… reverent. At the time, I assumed from what I did witness that the three warriors present had something to do with the death of the man and the child.”

“Interesting.” An emotionless mask was once again in place. Anna decided she hated Kerrek almost as much as the men who had killed her husband. Kahn had come to her aid, but she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to forgive him for not actively helping her when she had been hit or, most especially, when she had been accused of murdering her own son. She was sure Kahn had known his father believed she’d killed Alex before they ever reached Gothe’mar.

Now that she was beginning to come down from the adrenaline rush, her face burned with pain and her stomach felt like something inside of her had torn. Breathing hurt and she was losing the ability to even stand up on her own. She would have slumped to the floor if not for Kahn keeping her upright.

The doctor came to her side, running a small scanner around her body. “She is bleeding internally from a ruptured spleen and a punctured lung. And a head injury. I must repair her first, then I will bring the child out of stasis.” His examination stopped suddenly. He looked at her, surprise evident. “You cannot have children.”

“No,” she gasped. “Having Alex… almost… killed me.” Breathing really hurt. “My husband… d-didn’t…” Another gasping breath. “… want to p-put… me through that… again.” Kahn and the doctor were now helping her into a machine that looked vaguely like a tanning bed. “Had a… tubal… ligation.” God, she hurt ! Why was any of this important?

“Relax, madam,” the doctor said. “This will take a few minutes. You’ll not feel any pain, only a warmth. It should be relaxing once the process gets underway.”

Anna closed her eyes and simply gave herself into their hands. She hurt too badly to fight them anyway. If they honestly believed she had killed her own son, she was up shit creek without a paddle. For the second time in her life, she succumbed to the black blissfulness of unconsciousness.