Chapter Nine
He could barely comprehend that he had let a whole day slip by without demanding his time of Allura. She had been so angry with him, and rightly so, that she flat out refused to see him on the fourth night before their wedding. He hadn’t pushed her to see him either. Now there was only three evenings left and he hadn’t done more then lay a hand on her shoulder.
The memory of her warmth beneath his palm made his body react. He felt like an unseasoned youth as he tried to imaging being able to touch more of her. To see more of her peach complexion exposed to him then her conservative clothes allowed.
Lotor threw his covers aside and made way for the shower. This wasn’t the first time he had to take care of his urges concerning her in the privacy of his bath. The girl would be able to manipulate him into doing anything if she only learned how. As it were, she was too naive to realize the power she could hold over him. She had spoken of preserving her virtue so he knew that she had never been with a man. Lotor would be her first.
And only.
Lotor let the warm water wash away the evidence of his arousal when he was done. He turned off the water and let the water drip off his body for a long moment as he thought about her. Images of her drown out his bodies cries for the drug he was addicted to. The anticipation of seeing her again almost kept the urge to partake of the stuff from making itself known. He knew better than to go with out it though. His withdrawal symptoms where getting worse.
Greig was waiting for him in the gym when Lotor strolled in for his morning workout. Greig held another cup of that foul black liquid in his hands and he seemed to be sipping from it at regular intervals.
“Good morning,” Greig greeted as soon as he saw Lotor. Lotor scowled at his captain and set to stretching, knowing that Greig would say what was ever on his mind regardless of what Lotor grumbled. “There is finally some chatter on the waves that Korrinoth is mobilizing. It will be a week before the entire fleet is assembled.”
Lotor nodded as he started to go through the steps of one of the many martial arts forms he had learned. It was very physically demanding, enough to make his muscles scream when he was done. The heavy work out helped to ease his mind. His father was reacting just as Lotor had anticipated. He would love to see the look on his father’s face when he realized that not every Drule was accounted for. Lotor had managed to take with him several powerful houses. The fleet wouldn’t be as strong as it used to be.
“I also have a treat for you,” Greig pulled a data drive from his pocket and handed ti Lotor, even though he was midway through his form.
“What is that?” Lotor asked, irritated that Greig expected him to stop what he was doing to retrieve a data drive.
“Allura’s play list,” Greig stated. That got Lotor’s attention and he stopped his form to grab the drive from Greig’s hands. “Allura doesn’t have the best choice in passwords, either. It is ‘H8Lotor’.”
Lotor felt his brow shoot up at that. Allura’s password was about him, albeit not in a flattering light. Lotor had learned a long time ago that there was a thin line between love and hate. If Allura did have strong feelings toward him, they could be molded to his wishes.
Lotor smiled.
“I will let you know if I’m able to dig anything else up,” Greig said as he started for the door to head back to the bridge or where ever Greig went during his off time.
“No,” Lotor said as he examined the small sleek black data drive in his hand. “Let her have her secrecy. I’ll know everything sooner or later anyway.” Greig just nodded at Lotor’s words, not even a challenging look from the half Drule.
Lotor itched to delve into the content of the data drive but he forced himself to finish his work out and shower again. Only when he found himself secure in his room did he load the contents of the data drive onto his console and put his own black ear buds into his ears.
He selected her most recent tracks and was rather taken aback. He heard harsh guttural singing with wailing drums and screaming guitars. It was hardly something he would have imagined the angelic princess to listen to. The entire playlist was nothing but the angry metallic music. Lotor admitted that he enjoyed it but it bothered him that Allura was listening to it. The playlist was entitled “angry.” Oddly appropriate.
He searched for another list and found one entitled “My Life.” He selected it and listened to a woman moan about her tragic life and her heart ache. The next song was the same, a singer songwriter who was bitter and detached from the world. It even made him depressed to listen to it. He dug deeper into the lists until he found one that hadn’t been touched for a while entitled “Freedom.”
He heard a young womans voice with a catchy beat behind her singing about falling in love. It was more along the lines of what he thought Allura would listen to. The next song was a couple singing about eternal love. It was much lighter and happier than anything that he had ever heard but the Drules were not known for their positive attitudes.
Lotor thought about the lists and the songs. Allura at one time wanted to fall in love. She wanted it badly since she had list upon list of love songs. It was encouraging to him that she wanted love, if only she could try to find it with him.
The more recent songs told him that she was teetering on the edge of something. The woman could only endure so much before she snapped. Lotor hadn’t know that she was so repressed among her own castle. She was going to be queen soon and the people still looked to Coran for guidance and it cut her. He had seen it in that meeting he had pushed his way into.
He looked at the time and it was time for him to demand time of Allura. He couldn’t push her too much but he needed to be near her again. Whether she meant to or not, she intoxicated him. She was almost more addictive than his dram.
