Descended Part 1: Queen of the Universe? Who me? Read online

  Chapter Seven

  Kristoff

  I could see by the expression in her wide green eyes—half frightened and half defiant—that my words had shaken her to the core.

  “What…what do you mean?” she whispered.

  “I mean,” I said. “That you are the true Incarnation of the Goddess-Empress. You are Sundalla the 1000th, she who is the rightful ruler of the Goddess’s Cloak.”

  I dropped to my knees before her, prepared to make my vow of fealty. I was glad, at least, that my erection had gone down—the fight with the assassin-droid had taken all my concentration which had helped. But I felt it stirring again when I looked at her—she was wearing a short lacy black robe which hugged her lush curves and showed her long, lovely legs. It was enough to give me blasphemous thoughts—thoughts which I pushed quickly out of my mind.

  “My Lady,” I began but Charlotte was shaking her head.

  “The Goddess’s Cloak? What’s that?” She was still looking at me uncertainly. I reminded myself that she came from a closed world and so was ignorant of much of the workings of our galaxy. But surely she had gotten some information from the message her friend Leah had sent to her via the Commercians? The little bastards were mercenary but they were also thorough—they wouldn’t have stopped communicating with her until she understood.

  “The Goddess’s Cloak is what most of the Twelve Peoples call the galaxy we all live in,” I told her. “What do your people call it?”

  “The Milky Way,” she said, sounding distracted. “I’m sorry, but did you just tell me I’m supposed to be the ruler of the entire galaxy?”

  “You will be if I can get you back to Femme One to undergo the trials and prove to the Council you are the true Incarnation,” I said grimly. “Unfortunately, there are already those who would rather see you dead than sitting in your rightful place on the Golden Throne.”

  “Oh my God…” Charlotte shook her head, backing away from me. “I…I can’t believe this. This is crazy.”

  “I know it seems overwhelming.” I rose from the floor and went to her, moving carefully so as not to frighten her even more. Already I was attuned to her, though I had yet to give her my vow. I could feel her fear and disbelief in the air between us. Without conscious effort on my part, my skin turned a deep purplish blue to reflect her emotion.

  “Oh!” Charlotte jumped and put a hand to her mouth, her green eyes getting wide.

  Again, my body responded unbidden, my skin giving a bright flash of yellow in response to her fear and surprise.

  “Why are you doing that?” she asked in a wavering voice. “What does that mean?”

  “You mean my skin color?” I could have asked the same thing. It seemed strange to me that I was already so attuned to her that my body changed my skin tone without conscious effort on my part. But then I remembered the blood she had given me—that must be the cause.

  “Yes, I mean your freaking skin color!” Charlotte exclaimed. “Why does it keep changing?”

  “My body is simply reacting to your moods—reflecting your emotions as you have them,” I explained.

  “What? That…that’s bizarre! Why?” she demanded.

  “Because I am yours, Goddess,” I told her simply.

  It was what every Majoran male says to the female he chooses to give his life to and acknowledge as his own personal goddess but my words seemed to bother Charlotte deeply.

  “You’re mine? What does that mean?” she demanded. “I don’t even know you!”

  “No, but you will. Come…” I led her to the small, padded couch she had behind her food-prep area. Once she was settled, I went to my knees before her once more.

  “What are you doing?” She looked at me nervously. “Why do I get the feeling you’re about to propose?”

  “Propose?” I frowned at her. “You fear I am asking you to be my bonded mate?”

  “Um…I guess that’s one way to put it.” She nibbled her full lower lip nervously and I had to fight to keep my body from flashing orange in response to her emotion.

  “Please don’t fear that,” I told her. “Though my life and my chastity are sworn to your service, I would never be a candidate for Royal Consort—my blood is not exalted enough. As I told you before, my mother was only a lesser noble.”

  “Um…” She still seemed not to understand. “So then…why are you on your knees in front of me like that? It’s kind of, uh, making me nervous.”

  “I know,” I said. “I can tell.”

  Feeling the emotions of the Empress, even though none of us is her fated mate, is one of the unique attributes of the Imperial Guards. Most other males of the Twelve Peoples only feel the emotions of their chosen females after they bond. But for us, the ties of loyalty run so deep, we are intimately connected to she who sits upon the Golden Throne.

  “Kristoff,” she began but I took her hands in mine, sending a charged tingle through both of us.

  I knew well enough what that tingle meant—that the new Empress was a La-ti-zal, a female specially blessed with gifts from the Ancient Ones—and that we were sexually compatible.

  I had never felt that tingle with my old mistress but then, she was forty years my senior and desired no one after her Consort had died. It was a shock to feel it when I touched my new mistress, but I refused to let it show on my face, even though Charlotte gave a little gasp.

  “My Empress…my Goddess,” I began formally, looking into her lovely green eyes. “I, Kristoff Xander Verrai, am yours to command. My body shall be your shield. My blood is yours to spill, my shoulders shall carry your burdens, and my lips shall keep your secrets. My heart shall beat only for you. I will never leave you or forsake you—I will follow and protect you until the end of my days. Unswerving Loyalty, Unquestioning Devotion, Unremitting Obedience, and…” I paused for a moment, my throat working. “And Unending Love,” I said, though I hadn’t meant to say it. “These are the code and the credo of the Imperial Guard. Until I die, my Lady, I am yours.”

  As I said the last words, a mighty surge ran between us—a rush of electrifying power—of a vow given and received. It was a sign that the Goddess of Mercy had heard and acknowledged my oath to my new mistress.

  Charlotte must have felt it too because her eyes got wide and she tried to pull her hands out of mine.

  “What was that?” she whispered in an awed voice.

  “That was me tying myself to your service for life,” I said simply.

  Although I still wasn’t certain why I had added the “Unending Love” part, which was not actually supposed to be part of the vow. I had added it when I gave my oath to my old mistress, Sundalla the 999th because I felt very strongly for her.

  I never expected to have such strong feelings for my new mistress—my heart was in the grave with the last Goddess-Empress and though my loyalty was the new Empress’s to command, my love was dead. Yet somehow the words had come to my lips and I had uttered them anyway. Why?

  Before I could answer the question, Charlotte was yanking her hands out of mine and edging away from me.

  “This can’t be right—I mean, you don’t think you’re going to stay here, do you?”

  “Of course not,” I said. “We will be going to Femme One as soon as I can get my armor back and call my ship to come to us.”

  “What? I’m not going anywhere with you!” she exclaimed. She got up and started pacing back and forth. “I never met you before last night! I have a life here—an internship! Do you know how hard it is to get into one of these programs? And…and I have sick people depending on me. I can’t just leave them!”

  I considered rising to go to her but I could feel her fear and trepidation—though I was careful not to let my skin display those emotions. Instead I stayed on my knees, motionless, to avoid causing her more distress.

  “You want to devote yourself to the service of others,” I said calmly. “That is the defining characteristic of the Goddess-Empress. But if you stay here you can help what—hundreds? Perh