Chapter 4 Wrexxon
Wrexxon
Istalked away from the bakery, the warm loaf light in my hand but my jaw unyielding iron.
I was furious with myself for letting a female knock me so thoroughly off balance that I'd nearly forgotten who I was.
It wasn't just that she was beautiful, though she was.
Even covered in flour with her hair escaping its braid in soft curls, she was beautiful in a way that was more seductive than the most ornamented and perfumed pleasurer.
But it wasn't her beauty that had made my carefully constructed control slip. It was the way she'd looked at me.
Most people saw the Qeth’rex when they looked at me. They saw the raider who'd burned Imperial ships and scattered fleets. They cowered or fled or tried to placate. They made themselves small in the presence of something they feared. She had looked at me like she wanted to flay me alive.
There had been no fear in her dark eyes. Not only that, but she’d also snapped at me like I was an inconvenience rather than a threat, like my size and reputation and obvious danger were irrelevant compared to her annoyance at being interrupted.
Remembering the challenge in her gaze made a laugh escape my lips. Gods of old, her defiance had been intoxicating, and it made me want to give her even more reasons to defy me. I bit my lip and swallowed the laugh as my cock twitched. This made her dangerous to me in ways I didn’t want to admit.
The purpose behind taking a female from the colony was strategic. It was a guarantee of the alliance's seriousness and a living bond that would ensure the colonists didn't betray us to the Empire the moment it became convenient. But now it was personal.
I knew that the baker who'd looked like she wanted to murder me was the woman I was going to take. Even if I hadn’t seen a grainy image of her before we’d landed, I’d have known that she was the woman whose name had been at the top of the Zagrath execution list. Every warrior’s instinct would have told me that she was the woman who’d been leading an underground rebellion and enraging the Zagrath.
Tvek, she’d managed to both enrage and arouse me in a matter of moments.
As I stomped back toward the village square, I tore the loaf of bread in half, the crust crackling under my hands and steam rising from the soft interior.
I lifted it to my mouth and took a bite, the yeasty warmth and crunch making my eyes flutter shut with pleasure.
When had I last eaten bread this good? Not since I’d been at my mother’s knee, which was so long ago it felt like a different lifetime.
A low sound escaped my throat, something dangerously close to a moan.
I cut it off immediately, aware of the colonists beginning to emerge from their homes.
I forced myself to keep walking, tearing off another piece and chewing it slowly, savoring it even as I attempted to school my features into a fierce scowl.
Colonists moved through the frozen streets, some heading toward the platform being constructed in the central square, others watching from doorways with obvious curiosity and poorly hidden fear. They'd never seen Vandar this close before. I emitted a low growl, glad when they scurried away.
I was still the Qeth’rex, despite the stirrings the baker and her delicious bread had provoked.
When I glanced up, my majak strode toward me, his own fur cloak flapping in the frigid breeze. Venik's expression was carefully neutral, but I caught the slight tightness around his eyes that meant he was dealing with something annoying.
I held out the remaining half of the loaf as he approached. He raised an eyebrow but took it without question, breaking off a piece and eating it as the two colonists behind him came to a halt.
"Raas Wrexxon," Venik said after he swallowed. "May I present Council Leader Garrett and Magistrate Harding? They were instrumental in negotiating the alliance terms."
The names registered dimly as both men immediately launched into rapid, nervous speech.
"Such an honor to welcome you to Lexxona, Raas Wrexxon—"
"We've prepared everything according to your specifications—"
"The platform will be ready within the hour—"
"The citizens are gathering as we speak—"
I let them babble for a moment, studying them.
Garrett was older, perhaps fifty standard years, with graying hair and the kind of soft middle that came from administrative work rather than physical labor.
Harding was younger, leaner, with sharp eyes that calculated even as his mouth smiled.
Both wore the self-important air of men who'd claimed authority in a small pond and convinced themselves they were significant.
"Does the colony know about the deal you made?" I interrupted, my voice slicing through their pleasantries.
They stopped mid-sentence, exchanging nervous glances.
"Ah," Garrett cleared his throat. "Not... precisely. That is to say—"
"We thought it best to present the terms at the assembly," Harding finished smoothly. “To ensure solidarity.”
I studied them in silence, letting the weight of my gaze make them uncomfortable. They shifted and fidgeted, refusing to meet my eyes for more than a moment.
"You mean," I said slowly, "if the citizens knew about the lottery beforehand, they might not come to the mandatory assembly."
More glances and more fidgeting.
"They might not understand the importance of a tribute,” Garrett said in a rush of words that betrayed inner turmoil I hadn’t seen before, “but I truly believe this deal will save the entire colony, even if the payment is steep.”
“This alliance will save the colony your own grandfather founded,” Venik said, drawing a look of surprise from Garrett, although I wasn’t surprised one bit that my majak had learned the history of the place.
"The rebels might not agree," Harding muttered, then looked stricken.
“Yes, the rebels.” I knew about the rebellion, but only because I knew that the Zagrath wished to exterminate the leaders of it. “Tell me about them.”
They hemmed and hawed, speaking over each other as they assured me that it was under control, and they were certain it was a rebellion against the Zagrath and would have no impact on our alliance.
“They wouldn’t dare rebel against the Vandar,” Harding added with a satisfied nod. “They’d be frostbitten fools.”
After watching the baker’s reaction to me, I wasn’t so sure about that. Not that she would be an issue after today. Not for the colony, at least.
I stepped closer to both men, using my height deliberately. They both took an involuntary step back.
"I need you to help me with a detail about today's lottery.”