“That’s…not true.”
I hated the terrain this argument was venturing into.
“If a woman loves a man she’ll give him plenty of sex.”
He sneered at me.
“None of these human brides love their husbands.
They were brought here under Shindray’s rules.
They were all raped the first night they arrived.”
My eyes widened.
That’s what that woman had been talking about.
Whore was smug.
“I’ve been telling you this all along.
You have no idea how good you have it.”
“Lord Elentinus raped Sasha?”
“Spare me your outrage.”
He crossed his arms.
“Lord Elentinus is devout.
He always obeys the will of the high druid.”
I put my hand over my racing heart.
My spit had gone cold again.
“Don’t worry.”
He gave me a dismissive wave.
“He drugged her.”
“I…see.”
He pointed his nose at my white board.
“Shall I erase this drivel for you?”
“No.”
This snapped me out of my shock.
“I’m going to revise it.
Thank you for—for educating me.”
“Revise it how?”
“Well...my focus was on building new relationships.
Now my focus will be on mending them.”
“Maritzaaa.”
His voice had turned into this evil, impatient sing-song.
He walked up to me and took my chin in his hand.
“They have.
To breed.”
“I got it, Hor-Denay.”
My lower lip trembled.
“Let me go.”
“Don’t bring up artificial insemination.”
He was talking through his clenched teeth now.
I couldn’t believe how furious he was.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“You’re so far beneath us.
You don’t deserve his love.”
This was a disgusted whisper.
I started to get scared.
“Don’t make him have to pick a side between the two of us, Hor-Denay.”
I swallowed.
“He loves us both.”
This got him to let me go.
I backed away from him.
“We’ll work on the letter together,” Whore said.
“That…that’s fine with me.
You know what will fly with your people better than I do.”
“Nothing is going to go to Pakpo that I haven’t approved.”
As if, you son of a bitch.
“I can get rid of the artificial insemination stuff.
I was just banging around ideas.”
I decided to pick my battles.
He led the way out of the room.
“The yacht is going to take off shortly.
Come.”
***
After being awkwardly smooshed into a chair by Kang for a few minutes we were safely back in orbit.
This was a relief.
I assumed that woman couldn’t hack the Domestics up here.
Elentinus came down the stairs leading to his room with Whore following behind him.
I ran up to greet him like an obedient wife.
“Hi, husband.”
I took his hands in mine.
“You must be so exhausted.”
Elentinus admired me a moment before leaning down to kiss me.
I adored how expressive he was with his emotions.
I felt like I could read the love in his face.
He wrapped his arm around me and brought me to the dining table.
“Do you mind if Hor dines with us this evening, my dear?”
Of course I did.
“Of course I don’t.”
I looked back to flash Whore a phony smile.
He was too tactless to give me one in return.
Elentinus took his seat and we each picked a side next to him.
That meant Whore and I had to face each other.
I tried not to look at him, but Whore stared at me with an expression of hatred.
Fortunately the Domestics stepped up to give us our drinks and dishes.
“My business on Earth took longer than expected,” Elentinus said, “and was indeed quite exhausting.”
He cut into his meat pastry and took a bite.
“He’s under considerable stress,” Whore said.
“You should make yourself available to him.”
“Of course,” I said.
“I’m talking about sex.”
I focused on my pastry.
“I knew what you were talking about,
Whore
.”
Whore brought his glass to his lips.
“That’s Hor-Denay to you.”
“I think it’s amusing how much you two despise each other,” Elentinus said.
We both looked at him.
“You’re like me and my foster brother fighting over our father’s attention.”
He didn’t look at either of us while he spoke, and he didn’t look amused.
“If I’m dragged into your quarrels to serve as mediator it will cease to be amusing for me.
Is that understood?”
“Yes, master.”
Whore locked eyes with me.
“Maritza and I already agreed not to make you pick sides.”
Elentinus looked at me with his brow raised.
“Did you really?”
“Yes, husband.”
I looked at Whore.
“We’re both here to make your life easier.
It would be petty of us to drag you into our fights.”
Elentinus looked back at Whore who lowered his head and closed his eyes.
(This was what they did instead of nodding).
Elentinus reached out to hold both our hands at once.
I saw Whore get this adoring look on his face for his master.
“I’m truly fortunate to have such a devoted wife and servant.”
We all dove into our food after that touching moment.
I felt a little of the tension between Whore and me alleviate, but I wasn’t going to get my hopes up.
“The council will have an interim session starting tomorrow,” Whore said to me.
“Lord Elentinus will be participating remotely.
He’ll be occupied for the next two days.”
“No rest for the wicked.”
I smiled at Elentinus.
“I look forward to a long break after this, my dear.”
He returned my smile.
“In the meantime it will give you and Hor the opportunity to work on the letter for Pakpo.”
He looked at Whore.
“I understand she’s already broached the topic with you.”
“Master, you mustn’t give a spoiled child such power so carelessly.
She asks for the world in a day.
She understands nothing of the Dak-Hiliah mindset.
If she had sent Pakpo what she wrote today it would have had horrifying consequences for the empire.”
“I didn’t write a letter today.”
I tried to keep my cool.
“Those were just notes.”
“What were in your notes, my dear?”
“Just what we spoke about.
How husbands and wives should share with each other.
Sleep in the same bed.
Dine at the same table.”
“Master, I’m afraid your wife is a liar.”
Bastard!
“She wants Pakpo to allow women to withhold sex from their husbands whenever they desire.”
Elentinus set down his utensil so he could entwine his fingers together.
“Maritza, you mustn’t expect such things to be allowed.
Our wives need to breed for us.
They have no choice.
I explained this to you before.”
I was seething, but I sucked it all in.
Whore was trying to play me.
I’d had too much experience battling office politics back in Botswana not to see right through the creep.
“Husband, I would never, ever, expect for women not to have to breed for you.
What Whore’s talking about is actually a very silly idea I had about having an artificial insemination option for women for when they were quarreling with their husbands.”
I smiled at the asshole.
“Hor-Denay, you already convinced me that was a bad idea.
Why on Earth would you embarrass me by bringing it up in front of my husband?”
Whore’s eyes gleamed and he made the cruelest smile I’d ever seen on him.
For a second there I thought he might have respected me.
“Your wife is very cunning, master.”
Elentinus started laughing.
“You’ve met your match, Hor.”
He looked at me while still smiling.
“Hor is extremely territorial, my dear.
But he always acts with my best interests at heart.
I can hardly resent him for it.”
“I see.”
“I would die for my master,” Hor said while finishing his last bite of food.
“Can you say the same?”
“I have sex with him.
Does that count for anything?”
Elentinus smiled.
“One measly lay, that wasn’t even offered in earnest, doesn’t win you my respect.”
“Well…”
I shoved my dirty plate to the side.
“Why don’t you get lost so I can give him another one?”
“My dear…”
Elentinus took my hand.
He seemed impressed.
Whore backed his chair up and rose.
“If you’ll excuse me, master.”
He eyed me a moment.
“I trust you’ll ensure she keeps her word.”
A blush formed on my face as he strode out.
I looked back to make sure he was gone.
“Whore seems really preoccupied with our sex life,” I said once we were alone.
“I understood it back when I was ovulating and there was that need, but he’s still trying to push us into bed together every chance he gets.”
Elentinus rose.
“This troubles you?”
“Does he have any outlet for…his own, um, sexual energy?”
“Hor-Denay is a eunuch, my dear.”
I gasped.
He’s a what?
He doesn’t have a penis?
Seriously? Or wait…do they just cut off the nuts or the whole thing?
Elentinus continued to lead me to our bed.
“He gave up his manhood in order to have the honor of serving me.”