Chapter Twenty-Seven
Veron along with every other warrior silently watched as the Emperor frantically tried to force the water from the Empress’ lungs, tried to get her to breathe again but few believed that it was possible.
She was such a small fragile female and the river was powerful and dangerous. There were grown warriors that could not survive it, not after the storm, they had the night before, not when it pulled one down intoits murky depths.
It was whispered that after a storm the God Daco was able to rise up from those black depths, was able to pull theunsuspecting down into them, stealing their life and forcing them to serve him... forever.
Tora may have pulled her from Daco’s grasp, but there was no way she would survive.
Veron was about to step forward, about to force his Emperor and friend to face the unpleasant truth… his Empress was now in the hands of the Goddess. As he took that step, the Empress’ back arched off the ground and she took a desperate breath.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Wray quickly slid behind Kim, supporting her as he leaned her forward so she could eject the water clogging her lungs. Finally, after several minutes of harsh coughing, she collapsed against him, pale and exhausted.
“Kim.” He whispered, running a gentle finger under her chin to tip her face up to his and watched her eyes flutter open.
“Wray…” she whispered, her hand reaching up to touch his cheek, then her hand fell away, her eyes rolled back and she went limp in his arms.
“Get a Healer!” Wray roared scooping Kim up in his arms, he charged back to House Reeve. “Now!”
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Caitir jumped as the door to the Emperor's chamber suddenly bounced off the wall, the Emperor rushing in, cradling the Empress against his chest.
“Oh no.” She cried out her hand covering her mouth as her eyes quickly took in the Empress' pale skin and wet filthy coverings.
The river …
Caitir moved quickly, but she still barely got the door to the resting chamber open before the Emperor was through it. He moved directly to the bed and carefully laid the Empress down.
“Where is Yakar!” He roared at the males that were following him.
“He is transporting to the surface as we speak sire.” Veron told him.
Wray growls his displeasure before giving Kim his full attention.
While the Emperor spoke, Caitir had moved cautiously towards the Empress. She didn’t like how blue the Empress appeared. Reaching out to touch her Caitir found her wrist suddenly captured by the Emperor's powerful grip.
“I… I mean no harm sire.” She stuttered. “I was just going to get her temperature. She appears very cold.”
“The river pulled her into its deep waters.” Wray admitted in a tortured voice and slowly released Caitir’s wrist.
“The deep waters…” Caitir’s eyes widened with fear for she understood what that meant. Putting a careful hand on Kim’s arm Caitir couldn’t believe how cold she was. “She needs to be warmed! Immediately!" Caitir declared. "These coverings need to be removed!” Her hands immediately went to the laces that held the gown together.
“Get back!” Wray ordered harshly.
“But majesty…” Caitir began, then jumped back, as the Emperor pulled a blade from his waist.
But instead of attacking her, as Caitir thought he would, the Emperor slice through the Empress’ covering making one long cut from top to bottom.
“Get out!” Wray roared over his shoulder at the warriors standing there watching. He would allow no other male to see the beauty that was his Kim. “Caitir,” He said his hands going to his shirt. “Go start the cleansing unit.” She immediately rushed to do his bidding.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Inside the cleansing chamber, Caitir immediately turned the unit on high and steam began to fill the space. She then found clean cloths and soaps for the Empress and then the drying clothes that would be needed after. Turning, she went to assist the Emperor only to freeze when he walked into the chamber, completely naked, the Empress cradled in his arms. He didn’t even spare her a glance as he walked by.
“Leave us!” Wray ordered then stepped into the unit, giving Caitir a full and unobstructed view of his gorgeous backside.
“Bless th e Goddess.” Caitir whispered, then blushing hurried from the room.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Entering the resting chamber, Caitir saw the filthy condition of the sheet, the ruined covering and immediately went to work getting rid of them. The Empress would need clean sheets and many more blankets when the Emperor finished cleansing her.
With an armload of dirty sheets, she walked out of the room and shoved them into the arms of the nearest male.
It happened to be Veron.
“These need removed. Clean ones need to be brought in, along with heavy blankets.” She ordered.
“You think you can give me orders female?” Veron growled at her.
Any other day Caitir would have cowered in fear at the large male growling at her.
N ot today.
Today , she cowered before no one. Her Empress was in need and she would see to it.
“Yes!” she growled back, never breaking eye contact with the male she knew was the Emperor’s Captain. “The Empress will need a clean bed once the Emperor has finished cleansing her. She will need blankets to keep her warm. Are you going to deny her these things?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Should I go back in there and tell the Emperor that you refuse, Captain ?”
Veron couldn’ t believe it! This female, this Auyangian female was daring to stand up to him. Him! How could this be? Yet he also knew she spoke the truth. The Emperor would be enraged if these things weren’t properly prepared for his Empress.
To the shock of every male there , instead of Veron tearing into the female, he turned and shoved the soiled linens into the arms of one of Lord Reeve’s warriors.
“Take these! ” Veron ordered. “Dispose of them and have clean ones here in the next five minutes or you will see the end of my blade!”
The warrior paled at Veron’s words, then flushed at the menial task assigned him. This was not the job for a warrior from such a worthy House.
Still, he spun on his heel and hurried from the room, for he knew the Emperor’s Captain did not make idle threats.
“Is there anything else the Empres s is going to need?” Veron demanded, turning back to Caitir.
“A healer and the blessing of the Goddess.” Caitir told him , her eyes full of worry as she looked back to the resting chamber.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Wray gripped Kim securely as he stepped into the cleansing unit, not wanting the slightest chance of her slipping out of his hold. He hadn’t realized how truly cold she was, until Caitir had pointed it out. He remembered how cold she had been when he’d found her on the Ganglian ship. Remembered how she had loved the heat of the pool on Pontus.
Turning, he let the water stream through her hair and down her back, warming her as he reached for the cloth and slowly started to cleanse her.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Kim slowly came awake to the sound of running water and the feel of Wray’s hands moving over her body….
“ Hmm... Didn't we talk about you cleansing me when I'm not awake?” She meant her words to come out playful instead they sounded more like a croak. Why was that?
“Kim?”
The uncertainty in Wray’s voice had her opening her eyes. For some reason they were in the cleansing unit and Wray’s eyes were full of concern. Why?
“Why are you cleansing me?” she whispered a sense of dread filling her.
“You don’t remember?” Wray asked carefully.
“Remember? Remember what?” And just that suddenly, it all came back to her. Fala. Gyula. The attack. Tora fighting Fala. Wray fighting Gyula. Falling into the river, that dark, cold… no she wouldn’t think about that. Instead, she pushed against Wray’s chest, leaning back so her eyes could scan him, searching for the slightest injury.
“Are you hurt?” she asked.
“I am fine Kim." He reassured her.
“Tora… " She asked. "Is Tora all right? He was fighting Fala.”
“He too is fine Kim.”
“And Caitir?” She continued to press.
“She is in the outer room. Safe.” Wray assured her and pulled her close again.
"The guards." she asked, starting to relax. When Wray remained silent, she looked up at him. "Wray?"
“They are in the hands of the Goddess, my Kim.” He told her , instantly regretting his honesty when she paled.
“What?” she whispered weakly. "All of them?"
"Yes. The darts used on them were filled with Skua poison. They were dead before they hit the ground." Wray told her, silently thanking the Goddess that it hadn't been in the dart used on her.
"Why?" Kim felt her eyes filling. "Why would Fala and Gyula do such a thing? They were their fellow warriors."
Wray did not know what to tell her because he did not know. Therefore, he pulled her close and let her cry. Cry for the warriors who had lost their lives. Goddess, there wasn't another female like her in all the universes and she was his!
From now on , it would be his mission in life to make sure she was never, ever harmed again, not by word nor by deed. He would never fail her again.
"This wasn't your fault Wray." Kim whispered, her head still resting on his chest. She could feel the tension in him and knew he was blaming himself.
"It was!" He declared. "Because you are mine ! Entrusted to me by the Goddess herself and I failed to protect you!"
"You didn't ." Kim denied, pulling back to look up at him through the steam. "My being here is proof of that."
"You fell into the river Kim and I didn't even notice !"
"You were a fighting Gyula at the time," she reminded him.
"I wouldn't have been if I had killed him on Pontus as you wished." He told her angrily.
"No." She said firmly. "That would have been wrong."
" That does not matter, not if it meant you were safe."
" Don’t say that. Never say that Wray because it does matter.” Kim cupped his cheeks, making him look at her and in his eyes, she saw the pain and guilt, he carried over what he hadn't been able to prevent. “If you could have done that, you would be no different than Fala and Gyula, who used a Law for something it was never meant for. It would have made you like Lucan, who thought he was above the Law just because he was the Emperor. That’s not who you are! You are an honorable male Wray, a truly fit one and because you are, the title ‘Emperor’ means something again, something good. It’s one of the reasons I love you.”
"You still..." Wray found he couldn't go on.
"Love you?" Kim finished the question for him and gave him a rather irate look. "Of course I do! There is nothing in all the known universes that could ever change that! Certainly not some little dunk in the river."
"It was n’t some little dunk Kim!" Wray growled refusing to let her down play what had happened to her just to ease his guilt.
"I know that Wray ,” she conceded, “but it doesn't change the fact that I love you and I always will. You make whatever I had to go through to get here bearable Wray. I’d never have survived, wouldn’t have wanted to if not for you.”
“Goddess Kim…” Wray growled and captured her lips for a deep kiss. Her words… he would never get tired of her giving him her words… even when he didn’t agree with them… but these… these he would hold in his heart forever.
Kim sunk into the kiss. She needed this, needed to feel Wray against her, driving away the cold and the dark, as he had with the Ganglians. As he did when she had a nightmare. Wray was the only one that could do that. Her hands roamed down his chest and would have slipped between them when he pulled away, stopping her.
“Wray…”
“No Kim. Not now. You have been through much and now I need to care for you.”
Kim had opened her mouth to argue, but his words stopped her, as did the fatigue that suddenly returned and reluctantly she agreed. “Later?”
“My vow.” He promised.
Wray kept Kim in the cleansing unit until her hair was gleaming and every speck of river muck had been removed from her body. He carefully inspected every scratch, every bruise and silently cursed that he had let Gyula die too easily.
Only after repeated assurances from Kim that she was finally warm did Wray allow her out of the unit. He then proceeded to dry her with the thick cloths until her skin was rosy and her hair dry. Finally wrapping her up in one he carried her into the resting chamber.