26. Wrenlee

26

WRENLEE

M y plan, tentative though it is, is coming together. Matt has fed Emery information about when and where I am to meet Sek'su again. I am certain she will not be able to resist trying to catch me in the ‘act'.

As it is, my reputation is being torn to shreds. When I walk through the halls, the whispers behind my back have become louder to the point they are barely whispers. Several times there have been actual shouts at my retreating form calling me some terrible names.

What a fool I was. It may not be all my fault. I was, after all, raised to this, born into my cage of gold and diamonds. All my slightest whims being met with fervor by those surrounding me. When I was young I had no idea those around me were being paid by my parents to see to me. As I grew older and realized that truth I also learned to manipulate my world by my words alone.

People wanted to know my thoughts and opinions. The beauty pageants, the shows, the fancy dinners, and the mingling with the rich and powerful all conspired to shield me from any reality where I was not the Queen of the Universe.

My thick skin and ability to appear unperturbed earned me the title of Ice Queen, but that was because I never let anyone see the real me. Never gave a hint of what I was thinking or feeling inside. No one outside my closest confidants, Ziva and Saylor, ever saw how the words and the snipes hurt. I always figured, why give them the power?

Now it's worse than ever because the words being flung hurt more because they are stopping me from having what I know I want. That is something new. Not getting what I want is not something I am used to, not even here on Tajss. The crash took away almost everything but it didn't take long for me to reclaim my throne and things began to go my way again.

Except, I made an ignorantcomment that has taken on a life of its own. I thought the followers of Gershom were as dead and gone as he is. It seems, though, that one should never underestimate the gullibility and naivete of the human race.

I take comfort from Saylor. She understands and has stayed by my side throughout. Iris is doing her best, but it's hard to trust her. She tends to go with the wind too much and I know that if it looks like Emery will win, she'll switch sides.

"You think they'll have any of those flat bread things today?" Saylor asks.

She's talking loud in an attempt to drown out all the whispers and comments that are happening around us. I smile in her direction, ignoring the people who want to express their unwanted opinions.

"I don't know, maybe," I say.

We walk into the dining hall. It's breakfast time so the room is full of people and though it is an exaggeration of fact, it feels as if all of them stop to stare at me. The hairs on the back of my neck rise, making my skin itch. I fix my gaze on the food line and join in with everyone else. Saylor follows suit.

We pick our food and then I survey the room. When my eyes land on our usual table I see that Emery is already there and clearly trying to hold court. The other girls are leaning in listening to her with rapt attention. She darts her eyes in my direction and flashes a smile. I narrow my eyes and walk right to the table with Saylor on my side.

"Oh, honey, are you okay?" Emery asks as if she is not only the one who started the rumors but the one most benefitting from it. "I mean, I know it can't be true. I was just telling the girls that this vicious lie has to have been started by someone."

"Which lie are you referring to?" I ask, feigning being oblivious.

She smirks. Bitch can't help herself, but she hides it as fast as it comes, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Well, I was sure you had heard by now," she says, struggling to keep the joy out of her voice. "The absolutely horrible rumors that you…" She darts her eyes at the others, none of whom are brave enough to meet my eyes. "You know. Had… relations… with a… a Zmaj. "

"What if I did?" I ask, tackling it head-on. "Emery, are you saying that your, hmm, what would be the right word… racist doesn't really fit, does it? Xenocidal, perhaps?"

I tap my perfectly pursed lips thoughtfully. Saylor laughs hard enough that she's about to snort and a few of the other girls at the table chuckle too. Emery's eyes widen with shock, unsure how she lost control of the situation.

"I'm not… I never…" Emery splutters.

"Oh honey," I say, mocking her opening attack. "It's okay. Some people just can't see past the exterior to the true beauty inside. Which, now that I think of it, is very unfortunate. Especially for some people."

Saylor loses her battle to not snort and the rest of the table joins her in laughing. There is no doubt in any of their minds who I meant by that barb. I am, after all, the Ice Queen.

"This isn't about me!" Emery shouts. "And you're not denying you had sex with a Zmaj, are you?"

"Why would I deny it? That only serves to increase the rumor mill. If I deny it, I must have done it. If I did do it, then I lose too. No, I'd rather not play that game."

"But you're the one who said that sleeping with one of them was akin to bestiality!" Emery says, her voice so tight it almost cracks on the final words.

"Did I?" I ask, shrugging. "Hmm, perhaps I did."

I look at the bench and Ayla scoots to the side making room for me. I take the seat and then look at Valentina, who moves over so Saylor can sit opposite of me.

Emery falls silent, which I know is when she's the most dangerous. She's thinking something, that's for sure, but what? I defused most of her arguments, but only the ones she's voiced.

"So you're saying that you think it's okay for human women to sleep with the lizards?"

"I didn't say that either," I say.

"But you did…"

"Did I? I don't recall saying that either. Emery, do you want to sleep with one of them? I mean, you're a big girl. You do what you want. I am sure that I never said you needed my permission for who you sleep with."

Paisley titters and for some reason, the sound of it grates on my nerves.

"I heard that they have a very… unique anatomy," Iris says.

"Gross," Emery says.

"You know some of the girls are…" Ayla leans over the table dropping her voice low, "sleeping with those orc-like aliens."

"What in the world is an orc?" Valentina asks.

"The green guys, the ones with tusks," Ayla says. "Can you imagine? How do they… go down? Wouldn't the tusks get in the way?"

"Disgusting," Emery proclaims.

Saylor exchanges a look with me that is clearly meant to tell me to keep my mouth shut. I've accomplished my goal, taken the wind out of Emery's sails, for now at least. She'll keep working on her goal, using rumors and pushing out stories, but there is nothing I can do about that.

"Wren… you did say that fucking one of them was akin to bestiality," Paisley says.

Damn it Pais, can't you keep your mouth shut? Damn you and your photographic memory.

I hope no one heard her, but of course they did. How could they not?

"I remember it too," Emery says. "Very clearly. It was right after that Council woman… the second one… uhm… Jolie isn't it? She hooked up with one and you said, ‘Oh my god, are we all going to be fucking lizards next?'"

I tighten my grip on the utensil in my hand, struggling not to stab Emery with it.

"And if I did? What does that have to do with anything?" I ask through gritted teeth.

"Everyone agreed. We all thought it was… well bluntly, gross," Emery says.

"That was a long time ago," I say.

"Still, I mean, it's fine for the…" Ayla looks around the room with a pointed glance, "you know, them. But our genetics need to be kept pure. Could you imagine having one of those half-breed babies?"

"Oh my god, they're so big when they're born too," Paisley says.

"Don't you think that it would really mess you up," Valentina says, "you know, down there?"

"I am sure I have no idea," I say, keeping my gaze on Saylor as I struggle to remain calm.

I can't tell any of them here that my dreams have been filled with half-breed babies. Ones that Sek'su and I made together and, in my dreams at least, every one of them was beautiful. Strong and able and a delight to have. Paisley titters at Valentina while Saylor rolls her eyes.

"I am certain it would not be good for the lady garden," Emery says.

"The what?" Saylor asks, sarcasm thick in her voice, shifting her gaze to Emery.

"You know, the gentle bits," Emery says.

"Lady… garden?" Saylor asks, but I lose track of the group at that point because Sek'su walks into the dining hall.

The attraction I feel for him is immediate. A pulling in my chest as if my heart is trying to leap across the space between us, ready to be in his arms, with or without the rest of me. Oddly he's alone today. I watch as his eyes search the room.

Are you looking for me?

The moment I think it, his eyes find me. The charge is electric. I inhale sharply. He smiles and my heart skips a beat. The memory of his lips on mine, electric and exotic, is so strong that mine tingle.

He walks across the room and he's heading right for me. Panic rushes in. No, no, no, no.

I look around wildly. The eyes of the girls are on Emery, all except Saylor who looks concerned, staring at me. She mouths something, but I can't make it out. I shake my head and she turns to look where my eyes keep darting.

"Shit," she whispers.

Sek'su moves with intention. People part around him without question, despite the crowds in the room. There is a bubble around him and there is no doubt where he is heading. The rational part of my brain wants to run or hide. Duck under the table and pretend that I'm not here.

The primal part though, that part wants him. Right now. Not having a care who is watching or why, only that I get to be with him. In his arms. His lips on mine.

The conflict in my head rises and I can't breathe. The world spins. Saylor grabs onto my hands on the table and squeezes. I look at her, a stable point in the spinning world. She mouths the word no and shakes her head.

"What do I do?" I whisper.

"What is happening? Wren, are you okay?" Emery asks.

Fuck you, bitch. You wouldn't know real if it bit you in your lopsided tits.

"Wren."

Sek'su is at my side. His voice deep and rumbly, making a rattle in my chest and lower. Oh so much lower. I close my eyes, trying to figure out the right thing to do. This blows my plan out of the water. All that work to create a distraction, to lessen the impact of my old words, gone in an instant. The moment I acknowledge him is the exact instant all my carefully crafted plans will be torpedoed.

Everyone at the table is staring, but not at me, at him. I should tell him off. Force him to leave. Make a show of it. End this, like I tried before. Why is he here? I broke it off. I need more time to make this work before we can be together.

A slow, malicious smile spreads over Emery's face as she darts her eyes from him to me then back again. He's not going away. This is happening. It's out of my hands.

For some strange reason that I cannot even begin to comprehend, I'm glad. Glad that he's here. Glad that the deceptions are done. That, at last, I can be with the man who makes me feel the way he does and I do not mean only physically, though god knows he does that all too well.

I turn on my seat to face him. It's more than a bit unfortunate that I'm at eye level with his crotch, which of course fills my head with dirty thoughts and makes my pussy ache with the memory of him inside of me. I raise my gaze, though, up and across the "v" that rises from the hem of his pants. Over the washboard hard eight-pack abs. Across the overly defined pecs. The bulging muscles around his neck until, at last, I am looking him in the eye. His gorgeous, amazing, brilliant eyes.

"Yes?" I ask, but it's a whisper.

My throat is too tight and my mouth too dry for anything more. He smiles, leans down and his hands are on my waist then his lips are on mine.

Everyone at the table gasps.