Page 23 of House Divided
Then, they had ended up seeking refuge together, and he had been in absolute charge, going so far as to put her over his knee, bare her bottom, and spank her thoroughly. Madeline felt her insides quiver just at the memory. Absolute dominance, in a way that she had never experienced, not once in her whole life. And later, the sex…
The sex. Raw, uninhibited, pure fucking. There had been moments when she had forgotten where she was,whoshe was, even. And the release, the freedom of being in the firm hands of someone who could and would just fuck her raw, meant that she could let go in a way she never had. It had been simply glorious.
Then the stupid asshole had ruined it by acting as if it wasn’t a big deal. But it obviously had been—all of it. As soon as Madeleine was in danger, this man had dropped everything and risked his own life to save her. And he had called her beautiful.
This man is in love with you,she realized,even if he doesn’t know it yet.
Are you in love with him?
Terrifying question. To avoid it, Madeline slid out of her hospital bed, her feet searching for her slippers to protect her from the cold floor. Carefully, she made her way onto her feet, making small steps while she found her balance.
“Be careful, lady!” cried a voice, and Madeline turned to see a nursing station outside the room, where an orange-furred Treb had been keeping an eye on her. The diminutive creature rushed over to hold her hand and steady her.
“Thank you,” murmured Madeline. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to alarm anyone.” The creature’s hand was warm, reassuring, and surprisingly strong.
“It is all right, lady,” assured the Treb, “this one just did not want you to hurt yourself.”
The two of them walked slowly out of the room and along the hallway. Although it was slow progress, the exercise felt good to Madeline.
“Are you a nurse?” asked Madeline. “I’m sorry, I don’t know your name. I’m Madeline.”
“This one knows,” replied the Treb, “and yes. You may call this one Bellatercio.”
“That’s a nice name,” said Madeline. “My goodness, I’m already getting a bit tired. Whatever was in that venom, it sure walloped the hell out of me.”
“The venom of theflechette de fer,” said Bellatercio solemnly, still holding Madeline’s hand. “Usually deadly. The Lord Peregrinus did remarkably, sucking so much of the venom from your body so quickly. Also taking the head and keeping it in his pouch so we could identify the creature immediately.”
“Do you all call him the Lord Peregrinus?” Madeline asked curiously.
“Of course,” replied Bellatercio, gently steering Madeline back toward her room.
“Why is that?”
“You may know that Trebs are generally treated as laborers and domestics, lady. Slaves, really. The galaxy has not been kind to us. But when the Lord Peregrinus and his rebels came to Trebizond, he did not see little slaves. He saw us for who we really were. He tried to bring us freedom. We Trebs will always remember and honor him.”
“What happened then?” The nurse had led Madeline back to her room, and she was grateful. The little walk had felt good, but now she was once again very tired.
“I will leave a tablet on the table by your bed, lady. After you have slept, you can read all about it. Sleep first, however, please.”
***
After a satisfying nap, Madeline sat up and looked around. There was Enoch, his big frame unconscious next to her, his face seemingly to be more at peace than she could remember ever having seen it. He always appeared darkly handsome and fierce, but right now, he simply looked handsome, his aquiline features at rest.
She shook her head as if to clear it and noticed the tablet lying on the bedside table. Bellatercio had been as good as her word. Madeline picked it up and turned it on.
Hovard Zen’sHistory of the Onin War.She had never heard of it.
Madeline scrolled through the table of contents until she came to a chapter called, “The Question of Trebizond.” She called it up.
By this point in the War, the Onin systems were desperate for support…Madeline scrolled along. The details of the rebellion had never interested her very much, and she was tired. She stopped scrolling when the book mentioned Enoch’s name.
Enoch Immanuel faced a dilemma. The inhabitants of Trebizond had gratefully allied with the Onin cause, given their own exploitation by the Galactic Alliance. The Trebs were ready and willing to fight, and their rebellion against the Alliance would open a new front in the war, providing relief the Onin systems desperately needed. However, Immanuel knew that the Onin systems could not provide aid to the Trebs for some time, and that Trebizond would bear the full wrath of an angry Alliance.
In a secret communique, Immanuel gave the following instructions to the Treb leaders: “Do not pick up arms, my brothers. Not until we have come to join you, and we may fight together. Until that time, remain secret, and silent, that you may come to no harm.”
Enoch Immanuel had made the decision not to treat the Trebs as pawns but rather as equals. His decision may have hastened his own defeat, but the inhabitants of Trebizond still quietly celebrate Onin Independence Day in grateful and honored memory.
Madeline put the tablet down. The more she learned about Enoch Immanuel, the more she was fascinated by the man. She had grown up being told that the Pilgrim of Hate was the ultimate boogeyman, a rapacious killer with the blood of untold millions on his hands. But that characterization vanished like morning mist when confronted with the man himself.
