T. A. Chase

On Love’s Wings

On Love’s Wings c.2106 T.A. Chase

Part Two-

“Are you still coming?” The question was soft and undemanding.

Miataga turned back to see the commander was standing a few feet from him. There was nothing in the man’s voice or body posture that told him the commander was going to force him to come.

“Yes. I was saying good-bye.” He moved down to join the other man.

“Why?” The commander glided towards the Wing’s barracks.

Following, Miataga tried not to gawk. He had never ventured out of the lower city of Spendler where the whores and slaves lived. His customers came to him and they would use one of the rooms at the Loving House. Without an escort, he wasn’t allowed to travel into the upper part of town where the soldiers and the politic leaders of Emmen lived. He shot a glance over at the commander striding next to him. What ranking did the stranger hold?

The skin-tight gold uniform told him nothing. There were no rank markings on the helmet where the commanders usually wore their stars with honor. They halted at a gate blocking the entrance to the barracks. Miataga became entranced by the gleaming and rippling gold of the commander’s uniform. It called to his hands to stroke. Before he thought of the consequences of touching a soldier without his permission, he trailed his hand down the shoulder of the man standing in front of him. The warmth and smoothness of it shocked him. He hadn’t realized the weavers had created material that felt so much like human skin. A muffled sound came from the man when he rubbed his hand over the shoulder again.

“I’m sorry, Commander.” He dropped his hand and lowered his head.

“My name is Ari.” The commander’s voice was rough with desire and surprise laced through it.

“Commander Dosterta, I thought you had left for the evening.” A young soldier saluted to the golden man as they walked through the gate.

“I’m back to get Vikex, then we’ll be on leave for several weeks.” Returning the salute, Ari ignored the look of disgust the young soldier sent towards Miataga.

Miataga was used to those looks. Soldiers and political leaders had only one use for the whores down in the Loving Houses. Other than for sex, they didn’t socialize with each other and he liked it that way. The thin veneer of civilization hanging over the commanders couldn’t hide the wildness racing through their blood. It was part of the bonding between the commanders and their weapons.

The Emmenian armies’ specialized weapons were huge birds of prey that lived in the Westerly Mountains. The lowest ranking commanders bonded with falcons and hawks. The higher ranks were for the eagles. The Supreme Commander of the Emmenian army always bonded with the largest of the birds, the golden eagle.

Miataga’s eyes went wide at the thought. He threw a quick glance at the golden man beside him. He cast the thought away. The Supreme Commander would never get a whore from the lower city to service him.

“Forgive the boy. He hasn’t had good manners beaten into him yet.” Commander Dosterta’s voice was loud enough for the soldier to hear.

Miataga caught a glimpse of the soldier’s red face before he dropped his gaze again. “It’s all right.”

“It’s never right to treat anyone-be he whore, slave or the Supreme Commander-as if he were dirt beneath your feet.” Dosterta’s voice was cold.

Miataga shivered and he started to apologize again. A gentle hand on his arm stopped him.

“No more.” The slender fingers traced over his cool skin. “I gave you no time to grab your coat when we left your House. That was unforgivably cruel of me.”

Miataga shrugged. “I have no coat, Commander, so you would have delayed for no reason.”

The yellow eyes of the commander betrayed his shock. “No coat?”

“Whores are expected to stay at their House. We aren’t allowed to travel the city without an escort.” He was surprised the Commander didn’t know that.

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