In Enemy Hands Ch 10

Here's the page for the whole story so far: http://machurch00.blogspot.com/p/in-enemy-hands.html



Chapter Sixteen - Varo
Stretching, he reached for Adlar, but all he found was a cold bed linen next to him. Rolling over onto his back, he stared up at the ceiling. Last night had been different. The sex had been mind blowing, but Adlar’s touch was softer. More gentle. More… loving. He touched him like he cared. Like he was treasured.
No one had ever treasured him before.
It wasn’t just the sex that had felt different. The final meal had been…. Well, it had been more like a couple sharing a meal with a well-loved family member. Which was something he couldn’t wrap his head around, but it was obvious Adlar cared for his brother.
The scent of food teased him right before the door to the bedroom opened, and there stood Adlar holding a tray with one hand.
“Ah good, I was hoping you were awake.”
Stunned, Varo stared helplessly at the food. What had prompted this?
“Come on, up you go. Need to eat while it’s still hot.”
Varo set up and smoothed the sheet over his lap. “Um, that smells really good. Thank you. I’ve, ah, never had first meal in bed before.” Varo pushed his hair out of his face. “Well, not brought to me by anyone other than servants.”
“Excellent. A treat, then.” Adlar came in and set the tray on Varo’s lap.
Varo stared down at all the food in front of him. It all looked good, and suddenly he was starving. “Most certainly. Can I, ah, ask the reason for such a treat?”
Adlar shrugged. “I was in the mood to do something for you. This seemed like a good idea.”
Why won’t he look at me? Is that a blush I see on that pale skin of his? “There’s a lot here. Join me?”
The grin on Adlar’s face lit up the room as he sat next to Varo. “I’d love to. Thank you.”
Varo quickly noticed a problem. There was only one set off eating utensils, and Adlar didn’t seem like he wanted to leave. Adlar picked up the fork and scooped up fluffy teal eggs. The fork shook slightly as he held it up to Varo’s lips.
Varo’s stomach hit the floor. Part of the courtship on his planet was not only providing food, but also feeding your intended. It showed willingness to take care of a partner. Did Adlar know? If he did, why was he doing this?
He didn’t know what they called bonded pairs on Helkan, but surely Adlar knew Varo couldn’t be a bond partner. He was a slave. One didn’t bond with a slave. Did they?
“Let me, Varo. Please.”
Varo gulped. Adlar asked. He said please. He never said please. He didn’t have to; he was the master here.
Varo opened his mouth.
“I have something to say to you, but I need you to listen to me first. Don’t interrupt, please. You will have questions which I will gladly answer… after I am finished. Can you do this for me?”
Varo closed his mouth and nodded. Oh goddess, now what?
“Good.” Adlar forked up more food and held it out to Varo. “When you first arrived here, you came to cause trouble. To kill as many as you could. Oddly enough, I do understand how you felt. My people harbor just as many unpleasant feeling toward your people too.”
Varo ate the food and hiked and eyebrow as he chewed. But we have reason. Or so I used to think.
“I’m not going to debate why we find ourselves in this mess. This is our planet and our resources. We have the right to do as we please with them and no one has the right to say otherwise. But… I found you interesting. I don’t mind telling you I was slightly horrified over that.”
Varo snorted. You and me both.
Adlar held the drink for Varo, and Varo sipped carefully. “I imagine you felt the same. You’ve been trained to think of us as the bad guys.”
Varo shrugged. True.
“I also put a slave collar on you. In the beginning it was necessary—”
“Oh that’s just—”
“Hush.” Adlar tapped Varo’s lips. “It was necessary. Give half a chance you would have tried to kill me and I would have had to hurt you then. I didn’t want to. There were a lot of things I wanted to do to you, but hurting you wasn’t one of them.”
Varo stared at Adlar. And I enjoyed them.
“You were the enemy. Of course you’d take any opportunity to try to escape or kill me. I couldn’t allow that. And yes, I wanted to break you. Not destroy, though. I should have known then what was happening.”
Adlar fed Varo more breakfast, then ate some too. “You are such a contradiction. So smart, fearless… a leader, obviously. You captained a starship which is impressive. But, you were also so innocent. So naïve about certain things. I watched you grow, Varo. I watched you consider other points of view, even if you didn’t agree.”
Varo looked down at the tray. Yeah, and it was painful too, to see we might have been arrogant fools all this time too. Nothing horrifying about that revelation.
“I also grew. You interested me from the start, but that interest changed. I wanted to know Varo, not the Yesri prince. What made you tick? What did you like? Who were you? Attraction was there from the start, but it grew into something beyond the need to break you. I wanted to… treasure you.”
Varo jerked his head up. Huh?
“Yes, I was surprised too. You responded so beautifully to me I swore I’d take care of you. My feelings changed. Then you saved me in that cave. Things could have gone much differently with you holding my weapon. I think that’s when I knew I was falling in love with you.”
Varo’s mouth fell open as he jerked back in the bed. He was done keeping his mouth shut. “W-what? You what? But that’s…. that’s not possible! We’re enemies. We’re totally different.”
“We’re not that different.”
“Yes, we are . If nothing else, I’m your slave. A slave. What about that? Are you going to… what? Claim me? Mate me? Keep me as your slave? What role will I have? What happens when you get tired of me? Trade me off to another?”
“Do you care for me, Varo? I just told you I’m falling in love with you.”
“By the stars you can’t do this to me!” Trembling, Varo stared at Adlar. “I will never fit in here, do you understand that? I’m hated here. I hear how they talk about me. You don’t get it. I have to…. I must get…. I can’t let myself….”
“ Do you love me ?”
Varo knocked the tray off his lap, food flying across the room as tears poured down his face. “Goddess help me, yes ! I don’t want to, though! I can’t live never knowing if you’ll get rid of me, if I’m nothing but a slave to you. I just can’t .”
Adlar grabbed at Varo’s waving hands and barked out a command in his language.
Varo shrieked in panic. “Oh goddess , please no, don’t—”
The slave collar fell off onto the bed.
Chest heaving, both males stared at the collar. Varo’s hand crept to his throat. “You… you released it. Why would you do that?”
Adlar watched the shock roll across Varo’s face. “Because I love you. I can’t keep you like this, Varo. I see how it affects you. I… I want you to be with me, yes, but as a free man. I want you as my mate. I want to claim you in front of my people. They will know how I feel about you.”
“You… you want me? I mean, officially? Really? You aren’t… ashamed of me?”
Adlar reached for Varo and pulled him close. “Never. Do you hear me? There is nothing to be ashamed of. I would be honored to have you by my side. Are you ashamed of me ? Of being mine?”
“Oh goddess, of course not. Why would I?”
“I could ask you the same. Your people don’t like me either.” Adlar kissed Varo’s temple. “But we will change their mind, won’t we? We’ll show them there is more to both of us than a name. That is, if you would do me the honor of mating me.”
“This isn’t going to be easy.”
“Nothing worth fighting for is.”
“How does your brother, your king, feel about this?”
“He knows, and he is okay with it. He told me from the start you were no slave.”
“Adlar, what about my men?”
Adlar sat back. “They belong to the males who took them, just as you belonged to me. I’d kill anyone who tried to take you. There's not much I can do, Varo. What I can do is let you see them. Talk to them. I’ll see if their masters will sale them to me, though I doubt it.”
“Buy them. Gods, that’s just….” Varo shook his head. “Okay, if you can buy them, then what?”
“Then they can live here and act as servants. They will not be set free, Varo. Remember, you and your men attacked us. You landed on our planet with intent to cause harm.”
Varo sighed. “Yes, we did.”
“We can not ignore that, nor will we. You knew what the repercussions would be if you were taken alive. This is the best I can do.”
“Yes, we knew and agreed to try to attack. I just hate the fact they’re slaves.”
“I will try to make sure they’re happy, okay?”