Treacherous

Time to kill. Bell felt like everyone on the ship had something to be doing but her. She had dinner with the children and stayed to play for an hour or so before Ramsay started getting them ready for bed.

The three girls, Veron, Asya, and Kalle, followed Ramsay’s lead now, instead of Veron’s. If the oldest girl felt displaced at all it didn’t show through her enthusiastic support and attraction to the synthetic man.

It had been a few hours since she’d seen, or even felt for Riddick. She assumed he was kept busy by the preparations. But now as she had silence to concentrate on him she could feel how thoughtful he was. Wherever he was it was quiet, his apparition still as his thoughts were turned inward.

The halls were quiet. Guards stood at their places, and though they did speak amongst themselves some, it was soft, and rare.

The Necropolis was as quiet and empty as the rest of the ship. Deserted. Halls intersecting with the throne room lead to rooms that had been for conversions or the elite. No conversions and few of the elite were left with freedom of the ship.

Riddick sat alone. His position looked relaxed, but she could feel the turmoil inside him. It almost seemed as if he were at war with himself, and losing the battle.

His head rose to look at her as she slowly moved toward him. He wasn’t wearing the armor as the last time she’d seen him sit there. Still powerful looking, but now that larger than life aspect was gone.

“What do you want now?”

She smirked. Her apparition was neatly tucked away, keeping as much of her from him as she could.

At the bottom of the steps she stopped and looked up at him. After a few seconds she sank to her knees, her head dropping, but not before seeing his eyes widen. “I wish only to serve you, My Lord.”

His cool wariness quickly changed to the warmth of lust and a touch of humor. “How would you serve me?”

“Here. On my knees.” She lifted her head just enough to peek. She moved upward, on hands and knees now. The steps up to the throne were hard and it felt awkward, but the look intensified on his face, and his apparition became warmer around her, so it must be working. “With my mouth,” she whispered at last as she knelt before him once again.

A low growl. “The lady of the ship should find others to do her work.”

Bell couldn’t contain the flash of possessive anger, and she felt the response in him when he felt her reaction. “Everyone must do their part to serve our lord. I wish only to serve where my talents lie.”

He snorted! Asshole.

She didn’t wait for further banter, or an open invitation. Still on her knees she moved closer, her hands finding his legs and widening the gap so she could get into position. Riddick just watched her.

His pants were easy to release. Hard and hot, she freed him, making sure to not be completely gentle.

Head descending and he spoke. “You sure you want to do this here?”

Bell stroked his length and licked her lips. She repositioned her knees, trying to find a more comfortable spot on the hard dais. Her eyes looked upward, first left, then right, as if she were checking the balcony above them, before she dropped her eyes back to his. “I’d do it with your soldiers in the hall.”

A low groan on a breath as her mouth slid onto him. “There are soldiers here.”

There wasn’t. She could feel that they were alone. She raised her mouth for just a second, “Good.”

His hand found her hair, fingers clenching. He wasn’t guiding her, but more just feeling her rhythm.

Minutes passed. Bell honestly wasn’t adept at sucking dick, but the logistics were seemingly common sense. She could fake it and hope she was doing the job justice. He tensed and then filled her mouth with his musky donation, which she promptly swallowed. Seemed the quickest way to get it out of her mouth, and she knew he’d appreciate the gesture.

He didn’t say anything, and for long seconds, Bell stayed on her knees and just waited.

Things were happening here. Actions that, while they might not be proud of, would affect their opinion of themselves, as well as of each other. Violating an entire planet wasn’t something to take lightly, forced into it or not.

“Riddick…”

“Just go, Bell.” He worked to button himself in, and then sat straight again before her.

“No.” She stood and faced him. “I’m sorry that I came away from the Quasis with more or less than you planned. I don’t know how to control this yet, so if I used it to glean information that you weren’t ready to give, then I’m sorry for that too.” She bit her lip, thinking back to a sun-drenched planet, and wondering how in the hell she could miss that time. “You’ve forgotten one thing through this. Whatever you think of me, just always know that you control me.”

His eyes rose to hers and she could feel his apparition, just a little. “How?”

“It’s not fear. Sorry,” she smiled for just a brief second. “You have control over me because I love you.”

He came to his feet, forcing her to take a step back. “Shut up with that shit.”

“You shut up,” she shot back and he stopped on the step a few down from her. “That’s what you want, you know. Not to quote a Necromonger, but ‘loyalty without question’.” She had his attention again, at least, so she continued, “I’d follow you to my death, Riddick. I’m sorry if the reason behind it unsettles you, but it doesn’t change the fact.”

They stood silently, both upset, both hiding it from the other as much as possible.

“You don’t deserve this.”

Bell heard him, but didn’t understand, “I don’t deserve what?” Was he trying to say she wasn’t good enough for him, or vice versa?

He looked up finally. “You don’t deserve to have to be with someone like me.”

She grinned. Inappropriate maybe, but she couldn’t help herself. How stupid was he? “Uh, news flash, Riddick. You’re sort of a prize. Money, power. You’re even decent looking.” She raised an eyebrow here, teasing him. “And from what I hear we were about the only ones for each other.”

He nodded, head dropping again, eyes refusing to meet hers. He took several steps down and she yelled to stop him.

“What, Riddick!? What do you need? I asked for a world and you gave it. Led me to power beyond my imagination. Bring me to gasping orgasms every night. What do you want?”

He at least was looking up at her. Might’ve been the shock value.

She moved down the steps until her head was on a level with his. “I love you. Not out of greed or fear or necessity. I just love you. Accept it or kill me, but get over it.”

“Can’t do either,” he mumbled, not looking at her.

She smiled, “If you refuse to make a decision, you still have made a choice.”

“You an Elemental now?” he growled, though she didn’t think he was trying to be intimidating. That voice just came out that way sometimes.

“That’s not a calculation. That’s a truth.” She moved past him, hopping down the last step.

They moved across the hall together. An unspoken decision being made on letting the issue drop for now. More needed to be said, but now wasn’t the time.

He reached out for the door and she stopped him with a hand on his arm. Again she felt the connective energy at the contact, and it still surprised her.

Connected to this man in such a supernatural way? It seemed to back the very thought she was about to voice.

“Just remember, Riddick. Accept it or not, I’ll be right behind you.”

Tense, jaw hard, eyes flashing as he looked down at her. She thought he might argue further, but then he nodded. One curt nod before he was moving out the door and away from her.

~~~~~

Less and less time. The armada was shooting across space like a bullet towards a victim. They were the death-dealers, and while there was an excitement for the coming battle, there was regret and nervousness and fear as well.

It was the middle of what should have been the ship’s scheduled night, but few were sleeping. Bell tried to sleep some, but it was impossible. Too much to think about, too much adrenaline, and so on.

Plus there was something she wanted to check on.

Down two levels, she went straight to Seren’s office or whatever he called it.

“Did you clean him?”

The man looked up from the monitor he’d been working on. “I’m sorry?”

She looked around, knowing they were alone, but checking so he would see her do it. Then she moved closer. “I need confidentiality on this.”

He looked concerned, but not eager, and that was good. “Of course, My Lady. There is no need to ask.”

She nodded and sat beside him, her clothes clunking softly. “Militia wanted Ramsay because he held a specific DNA. Did you find any, or did you check at all?”

“I did the normal maintenance, My Lady. If he held something more it was well hidden.”

“Were you aware that synthetics could store DNA?”

He looked uncomfortable, but finally asked, “What type?”

She smiled, “Semen, of course. But he could possibly hold others. I don’t know.”

“Wouldn’t Militia have removed it all if it was why they wanted him?”

She stood, satisfied with his answers. “I assume they did, but I wanted to be sure.” She moved toward the door. “Another question: The monitoring system in Ramsay is integral, is it not? How did you remove it?”

He shook his head, “It would have been impossible to remove. Instead I scrambled the signal. For all Militia will know, Ramsay there is hopping around Earth.”

Bell smiled and nodded, “Good enough for me.”