Free Bianca D'Arc by King of Cups Page B

took off down the hall before Theos could question him
further.
    “ That boy is as headstrong as I
was at his age,” Theos told them.
    “ Your pardon, Father, but he isn’t
a boy,” Della corrected the priest, surprising Alex with the
amusement in her tone. Theos didn’t take it amiss, thank
goodness.
    “ You’re right, my lady. He hasn’t
been a boy in a very long time. It is the perspective of age that
allows me to still see the toddler who begged treats from my cook.
He was a precocious boy and has grown to a strong man.”
    “ He’ll be a good emperor, Father,”
Della told him softly. “Your legacy will be one of strength
tempered with compassion. You taught him that.”
    “ Thank you, Lady Della.” The old
priest seemed genuinely touched by her words. “I’ll see you both
tomorrow afternoon.” With that, he left, the door closing and
locking behind him.
     
    Alex and Della spent the rest of the night in
passion. Speaking without words. Knowing without being told. As
he’d said, every time they were together, it only got better.
    In all his prior experiences, after the initial
excitement of being with a new woman wore off, the sex became stale
and old. Not so with Della. What had started out as Earth
shattering was quickly becoming universe altering. He felt things
he didn’t fully understand. He was developing needs that he feared
would never be assuaged with another woman. But how could he keep
Della? How could he subject her to the kind of life he led?
    The obstacle of sterility was gone, if Theos was to
be believed, but Alex had a whole new set of problems to worry
about. Could he subject Della to the uncertainty of his life? Would
she want to be with him, knowing what she now knew about his
background, his DNA and the threat that would hang over his future
forever, no matter what Theos said?
    He didn’t know. He only knew she was becoming
necessary to him. Necessary to living. Necessary to breathing.
Without her, he would be lost.
    So the question really became, was she willing to
put up with his problems and did he have the fortitude to ask her
to share his life? He had always prided himself on his courage.
This test, however, was one he wasn’t certain he could pass. If
Della turned him down, he would be lost forever.
    Every night they came together with increasing
desperation. They’d shocked more than a few crew members by nearly
attacking each other in the hallway before they even made it to
their quarters. A few times, the hatch had been left open
accidentally when they hadn’t cleared the sensor and guards had
been dispatched to prod them gently inside the chamber so the door
could shut and lock.
    Della had been scandalized the first time but Alex
knew she’d secretly enjoyed the little exhibition. The guards
hadn’t seen much, but they damned well knew what he and Della had
been doing to forget such a simple thing as moving inside the room
so the door could close.
    During the days that followed, Theos would teach
them both about his belief system for a few hours. Then he’d send
Della on her way to play cards with the crew while he tested Alex
and trained him in the Zenai fighting style. Truth be told, Alex
enjoyed learning from the old man. The Zenai order had some very
intense ways of fighting that complimented Alex’s abilities. In
fact, the old priest seemed very pleased with Alex’s proficiency
and quick study.
    Toward the end of their journey to Solaris Prime,
Theos brought in two others he introduced as novitiates. He asked
Alex to spar with them and even Alex was surprised by how easily he
defeated the men using the new techniques he’d learned from Theos.
Alex was just too fast for them. He saw both surprise and respect
in the novitiates’ eyes when they faced him after their repeated
defeats. Finally, after a number of bouts with the same outcome
every time, Theos called a halt and decreed Alex ready for the test
of skill he would face when they reached the Zenai Temple