Oh Goddess, no. “He blames himself.” She kept her tone cool, as indifferent as she could manage. It was hard knowing the torture Ulric was putting himself through.
The man shrugged. “I tried to convince him…it wasn’t his fault.”
“He won’t listen to you.” Stella thrust her hip to the side, bracing one hand on it while the other dropped down. “What’s your name?”
“Faris.”
“Do you know who I am?”
“You’re his lover?” Faris frowned. “He didn’t tell me exactly. Honestly, I’m not sure what we are doing here. We need to talk to Ambassador Gravlin and try to get things resolved.”
Stella did her best to ignore her annoyance at the unintentional disrespect, and focused on the problem at hand. “I’m much more than his lover. Who exactly are you to him?”
Faris cocked his head to the side, his frown dropping away to leave a blank expression. “I am from Tensa and Ambassador Gravlin’s prime, his main advisor. I’ve been assigned to act as liaison under Ulric’s command. We’ve been working very closely together, as the negotiations have been going on for a while now.”
An aide, one who Ulric had taken a liking to as well. It explained a lot about his actions recently. The increase in the frequency of their time together and the resulting long conversations afterward as they lay entwined, covered in sweat and semen. Ulric had spoken about things he hadn’t before, about how she’d come to this place in her life. How she figured out who she was and her preference for dominance in the bedchamber. Maybe Ulric had feelings for Faris in a way he wasn’t prepared for.
Stella let her gaze fall heavily on the man in question. Faris was younger than Ulric by many years, but appeared older than her. He was muscled without bulk. His uniform clung to him in a flattering manner and knowing Ulric the way she did, knew that was part of Faris’ appeal. He wanted something from this man and she needed to find out what.
She allowed him to take in her appearance as well, standing still under his scrutiny.
The thigh-high black boots comfortably hugged her legs—the leather cords that bound them together supple but firm. The tops of her breasts spilled over the tight blue corset she wore, enticing any who might dare to look. Faris dared, it seemed.
“I am the Mistress.” The words poured from her mouth in clipped bites. “I’m the one he comes to for comfort.”
Faris snorted. “Pardon me, but from where I stand you don’t look that comforting.”
Stella growled, flexing her fingers at her side. “Be careful, or else I’ll show you exactly how painful I can make things.”
She didn’t like this at all. Ulric understood the details of their arrangement as well as she. They’d entered into a comprehensive contract before she ever set foot on his ship. He may guide the fates of three separate species in this sector of space, but here, in this room, she was the ruler of all. That included deciding who could enter her domain.
He should have said something.
A soft moan caught her attention. In the corner of the room, hidden in the shadows by half light, Ulric knelt on the floor. His head was bowed and his eyes were lowered.
Normally, he’d be naked, only wearing his collar around his throat and a cage around his cock. She knew it was Faris’ presence holding him back from following their rules.
Things had to change.
“Ulric,” she spoke softly, but knew he heard the steel behind her words when he flinched. “I am very unhappy with you.”
His breathing stuttered and he rose higher on his knees, but said nothing. Stella took some satisfaction in the reaction, pleased he remembered himself enough to hold his tongue. Perhaps all was not lost. Moving forward, Stella made a wide circle around Faris as she approached her charge.
Ulric’s shirt was splayed open at the neck, the white a contrast against his dark skin. The rapid rise and fall of his chest told her all she needed to know about the tenuous hold he had on his control. He was close to the edge and needed her to jerk him back. She owed him that much.
“Ulric, why are you not properly attired? Answer me.”
He swallowed. “I did not want to offend Faris, Mistress.”
“And who is Faris that I should care about his feelings? You brought this…man into my home and blatantly disobeyed my rules. I’ve never before witnessed such disrespect. Get up!”
Ulric was on his feet as Faris reached her side. Faris grabbed her forearm, tugging her toward him. Without thinking, Stella grabbed his wrist and spun him around until she wrenched his arm behind his back, angled high enough to snap with just a little more pressure. Faris grunted, but did not struggle.
“What do you think you are doing?” Stella hissed. She was careful not to press her body to his. The last thing she wanted to do was give him the wrong impression of what was happening here.
“I thought you were going to hurt him. This isn’t his fault.” He pulled his arm against her grip. “Let me go.”
No, this wouldn’t do at all. “Why are you here?”
“I told you, Ulric asked me—”
“No. It is clear you don’t understand what is happening, or what Ulric needs. You have no role in the goings-on between us. So I’m asking you again. Why are you still here?”
Faris swallowed, but didn’t struggle further. “He needs me. He asked me to come, so I did. I’m not going to abandon him now. I couldn’t.”
Stella let her gaze slide to where Ulric stood. His eyes weren’t on the floor, nor was he in his normal submissive pose. This was Ulric, the commander of armies, strong and self-assured, not the submissive she’d trained for a year. His eyes were wide and completely focused on Faris. She could tell by Ulric’s unrelenting gaze he was sizing the other man up, trying to anticipate what Faris would do and say. He was thinking and scheming—everything he wasn’t to do inside these walls. It broke her heart to see this side of him here, in the one place he was supposed to feel safe enough to let go.
She frowned. She couldn’t give Ulric what he needed if she didn’t understand the rules. The game had changed without her knowledge—and being the game’s mistress, the dangers were great that she might lose control. Neither one of them could afford for that to happen.
Flexing her fingers against Faris’ wrist, Stella leaned forward until her mouth hovered near his ear. “Ulric’s needs are of my utmost concern. They have been for the past year and I intend them to be for many years to come. You are unexpected, but not unmanageable. I will allow you to stay if you agree to my terms.”
Faris tensed. Heat from his body rolled across her exposed skin, teasing and exciting her senses. “Negotiations?”
“None.”
He nodded. “What are your terms?”
With a quick glance over her shoulder at Ulric, Stella smiled. “In this room, I am the Mistress. I am in charge. Ulric has agreed to this, as well as many other terms, which are of no concern to you. Everything I do in here, I do for him with his blessing. Not for me.
You may not understand everything. You may not agree with what you are witnessing, but it is all done with a reason. You may stay. You may observe. But never will you interfere. Never will you stop what is happening, no matter what Ulric says. I know how far to push him, what he can take and what is too much. Not you. Do you understand?”
Faris turned his head at an awkward angle, the cords of muscles pulling taut in his neck. She caught his gaze and held it, waiting for the question she knew would come.
“How will I know if he is okay? I…you won’t hurt him, will you?”
Stella knew she shouldn’t smile, but couldn’t stop the slight turn of her lips. “We have our ways. But you are an observer, nothing more. Do you agree?”