27 Pillow Talk #3
The bitch Bridgette was playing off what she had seen me and Astrid do last night, but Astrid was two feet taller and over a hundred muscular pounds heavier than Lady d’Lyre, and she had not just threatened to eviscerate my nation in a time of weakness.
I would not be dominated by this putrid facsimile of a transhuman being.
I spread my legs, planted my feet, and thrust my entire body to the side.
D’Lyre was not expecting that. She tumbled over my shoulder, face first into the fluffy sheets.
I didn’t give her a chance to recover, rolling on top of her.
Mindlessly, I forgot my training, and instead of properly pinning her, my hands fastened around her throat.
D’Lyre seemed amused at first, aroused by what she thought was rough foreplay, but then she looked into my eyes.
Through my burning rage, I saw when she realized I truly intended to kill her.
“Levar, enough,” Astrid said, and her powerful hand pulled me off the Federation snake.
“This is a matter between allies,” I snarled, but Astrid did not let me go.
“We need her information.”
“Screw her information, Royal Military Intelligence can find it now that we know it exists,” I said, but still Astrid held me tight.
Lady d’Lyre scrambled back to the headboard, coughing and rubbing her neck. “Sweet mystical Earth, Boylan. What the Fall is your problem?”
Since I could not reach her with my hands, I tried to burn her with the intensity of my glare. “I’m a Commonwealth soldier. I’m trained to kill enemies of my Queen.”
Lady d’Lyre’s eyes flicked up to Astrid’s face. “I thought she was your queen now.”
The righteous anger which had filled me drained away to be replaced by confusion. I was the Emperor’s Consort, but I was a Royal Commonwealth soldier first. Which was I now? Could I not be both? As I relaxed, so did Astrid, and her grip on me lessened.
D’Lyre found a mirror and examined the dark marks spreading around her throat. Her displeasure turned to interest as she thought of an advantage. “Captain, how do you intend to explain this without causing an incident?”
Inspired, I called for Ingvar.
“Yes, sir?”
Lady d’Lyre jumped, but I had expected the hordling servant’s sudden appearance.
“Tell Wiktor that the Lady Bridgette d’Lyre enjoys autoerotic asphyxiation, and needs a good, hard choke before she can achieve climax. He’ll make certain all the right people know it,” I said, holding Lady d’Lyre’s gaze as I did so. She glared at me, but kept silent.
“Right away, sir.” The hordling vanished as quickly as he had appeared.
“Did I say anything untrue?” I asked. “Now, don’t give me that look. Rub a hypo salve on it and your bruises will fade by dinner. No one will notice a thing, unless they’re looking for it, and if you bring it up, everyone will simply assume I did what you asked. Anything else?”
Lady d’Lyre stood, the corners of her mouth turned down, and walked over to where her panties had been flung the night before.
As she slid into them, she said, “Laugh all you want, Captain. The Noble Federation still has troops guarding the Fallspace colonies, and we will still annex those worlds. There is nothing you can do to stop us.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted my uniform crumpled on the floor. With it was my leather girdle, and on the girdle were my weapons. My dirk glittered enticingly. I dove.
I didn’t make it off the bed. Astrid grabbed my ankle, bringing me up short.
“Let me go,” I said, but the Emperor ignored me.
“Quiet, Consort.”
I was incensed she dismissed me so completely, but I didn’t know how to respond.
I couldn’t fight her even if I wanted to, but I did not want to.
I wanted to kill the gaping asshole from the so-called ‘Noble’ Federation currently fastening her slinky evening dress and finding her shoes, but not the Emperor, not my Astrid.
The Emperor spoke to Bridgette d’Lyre. “If you provide positive proof of the Urgan Despotate’s crimes and the Despotess’s complicity in them, then we will agree to your terms concerning Urgan and League space.
Your demands concerning Royal Commonwealth skies will have to be worked out between you and the Commonwealth. ”
Bridgette found her shoes and stepped into them, then straightened her dress before turning to us, still undressed and on the bed.
“That is wonderful news. My government will be so pleased to hear it.” She bowed, still smiling flirtatiously.
“Thank you, both of you, for such an enjoyable evening, and for an even better morning.” Looking back over her shoulder at me, her mouth quirked into a victorious smile, she left.
Astrid released my ankle, and I scrambled away from her. I wanted to yell at her, wanted to calmly explain my position to her, but the words did not come. I couldn’t even look her in the face. I was too angry, and I knew I would say or do something I’d regret, just like I had when she’d left.
Silently, my back to Astrid, I began collecting my uniform.
“Levar,” Astrid said. “Levar, look at me.”
I pulled on my pants, then my trousers.
I heard Astrid slide off the bed. A moment later, her hand gently landed on my shoulder. I shrugged away from it and continued dressing.
Astrid exhaled in frustration. “I’d have thought you’d be happy about last night.”
“A night of passion is not enough to convince me to betray my country,” I said, fastening my shirt buttons.
“You’re my Consort. The Empire is your country now,” Astrid said.
I whirled on her, my temper flaring. “Are you joking? How long would I last in your Empire without your Champion watching over my shoulder? No. I’m not welcome in your Empire, your personal wishes notwithstanding.
To your court, I’m a foreigner, and in my own mind, I’m still a loyal Royal Commonwealth citizen. ”
Astrid looked more hurt than angry. “Then why are you upset? The Commonwealth came off rather well, I thought.”
“Came off well?” I said. “Losing the colonies and League frontier is coming off well?”
“Considering that your other option is a partition between the Empire and the Federation, yes, I think a territorial contraction is coming off well indeed,” Astrid replied.
I shook my head as I struggled into my rumpled dress tunic. “I should have known the Royal Commonwealth would receive no respect from the victorious Empire.”
Astrid began to shout. “The Royal Commonwealth will be fine! Your nation will continue to exist because you fought so well. Would you rather I treat you like the Despotate, or the conquered League nations? Because I could.”
“And there it is, the truth laid bare. To you, we’re just another defeated enemy,” I said.
Astrid withdrew from me. “That’s not fair.”