Riddick looked at all the splendor around the Lord High Marshall's ship. A tall, beautiful woman with dark hair and eyes and creamy mocha-latte skin approached him. A high-necked gown encased her body and golden jewelry accentuated her beauty.
"You have beautiful eyes. I am Dame Vaako. I will escort you to see the Lord Marshall."
"That won't be necessary. I will take our guest from here. Shouldn't you be looking for your husband?" A soft sultry voice sounded from Riddick's left.
He smoothly turned his head to see a small blonde woman in a long black dress. His polished eyes roamed over her body hungrily. Her blond hair swept away from a breathtakingly beautiful face. Large hazel eyes looked unwaveringly into silver polished ones.
She moved forward gracefully almost as if she floated across the marble floor. Her soft curves hugged lovingly by the dark material. Unlike Dame Vaako, her dress neckline swept low to show the curve of high firm breasts.
Dame Vaako fumed at being interrupted. She wanted to talk to this man who took out so many Necromonger soldiers before his capture. Her sharp mind told her he could be important to her play for power through her husband. Women couldn't rise in the ranks or gain true power except through their husbands. Or so she thought, until 'she' came aboard the Lord Marshall's ship. Lady Anne somehow wrestled her father's power from his successor. She suddenly appeared from air some say on-board the ship with her father's ring on her hand and a request to journey with the great Lord Marshall.
In only a few short months, all Dame Vaako's plans slowly began to unravel. Everything she had schemed, traded her body for, even killed for, began to slip through her fingers. It was because of only one person - Lady Anne. She took over as the highest-ranking woman of the court. She sat beside the Lord Marshall at dinner. Dame Vaako hadn't decided whether to seduce the Necromonger leader and then have her husband killed freeing her way to become the Lord Marshall's wife, or kill the Lord Marshall herself.
"You may go daydream and scheme someplace else. You are not needed here," Lady Anne told Dame Vaako coldly. Her voice never rose, never changed timber but Dame Vaako knew not to push the much smaller woman.
Riddick watched Dame Vaako's inner struggle for power. Surprisingly, he couldn't read anything from the other woman's face. Dame Vaako swept away angrily.
"That leaves just you and me." Riddick circled the small blonde-haired woman breathing in her scent. "It's been a long time since I've smelled beautiful." His deep voice vibrated across the air to the woman's sensitive hearing.
"By your choice, I'm sure. If you are through scenting me, I will escort you to the Lord Marshall. I am Lady Anne and you are Riddick, correct."
Lady Anne turned and Riddick realized her dress wasn't black but a deep dark red. She turned her head to look up at him. Riddick swore her eyes flashed red and gold. This woman was something different. Unlike anything, he'd ever seen or heard of before. He found himself wanting to know more about her, and Riddick didn't like it. He let Jack in and now she was in Crematoria. He pushed his curiosity away into the deep pitch-black pit, where he kept all his emotions.
Buffy tapped into Riddick's emotions. She kept her face carefully schooled while she probed the mind of the man beside her. She thought the air of mystery made him even more handsome. Buffy never understood the attraction of a shaved head but on Riddick, it looked right. She wondered how she would get him out of this alive. Buffy knew her timing had to be impeccable.
Riddick wasn't ready to take on the Lord Marshall. He felt nothing towards the Necromongers, one way or another. Riddick thought of himself, no one else. But what was this? Probing this way was hard to do and stay fully alert and functioning. She preferred a distance and to be able to be still. Buffy felt herself dive into the darkness inside Riddick. She felt a kinship towards him that she fought as well. There it was a tiny spark. It glowed like his eyes in the darkness. It was his feelings for someone named Jack. Buffy saw a young pre-teen girl flash in her minds eye.
He noticed the scars on Lady Anne's neck. "What's the deal with the scars? Everyone has 'em."
"They are part of the conditioning to become a Necromonger." Buffy didn't say another word waiting to see if Riddick would ask anything else.
His dark eyes took in all of his surroundings in a single glance.
"The Lord Marshall will be waiting." Buffy moved towards a large chamber. She hated being on this ship and the role she played here. It had only been three months but it felt like hundreds of years. The Powers forbade her from taking out the Lord Marshall herself causing her anger and frustration ran high these days.
Buffy led Riddick into a large chamber where the people, the sniffers picked out, crowded together. She watched him from the corner of her eye as he searched the faces. He was very good, Buffy admitted; you couldn't read any emotion on his face or body movements.
She touched his arm causing him to turn his attention back to her once more. Buffy gave him a small smile inclining her head. Riddick followed her through a second set of doors. Everything inside was covered in gold, from the large throne at the other end of the room to the vines that wrapped around large columns.
"It is rather ostentatious, isn't it?" Buffy smiled at Riddick, her first true smile in a very long time. When the words rolled off her tongue, she could almost feel Giles saying them.
Riddick couldn't drag his eyes away from her face. When she smiled her whole face lit up doing the impossible, making her even more beautiful. Their eyes met, and for a moment, they were caught in a trap, frozen unable to look away. Buffy reluctantly pulled her eyes back to the matter at hand.
"The Lord Marshall heard what a great warrior you are and wanted to meet you."
Dame Vaako watched them from an upper balcony. Her husband joined her, wrapping his hands around her waist and pulling her back against his body.
"What are you looking at, Tersa?"
She turned in his arms; her frown replaced by a smile. Tersa's eyes darkened with desire. Vaako was taller than her by a half a foot. His face was strong and handsome with dark hair and eyes, strong cheekbones and the most sensual lips she had ever seen on a man. He wore his hair shaved at the sides and long at the back as befitted his rank as a Necromonger General. Tersa admitted to herself that Vaako made her heart race whenever he was near. No, she must find a way to get rid of the Lord Marshall. The problem was in ensuring that Vaako took his place. Necromongers had one true law - You keep what you kill. She had to make sure Vaako dealt the killing blow.
Vaako knew more about his wife than she thought. He was not blinded by her beauty, like most men. He willingly allowed her to play her games because ultimately they all benefited him, her husband.
"I tried to greet the new warrior that has captured the Lord Marshall's attention, but Lady Anne intervened." Tersa spat out the name as if it were a curse.
Vaako looked over the balcony to see the beautiful woman who had capture the attention of everyone at the Lord Marshall's court. He admitted he felt drawn to Lady Anne. Of course, he kept that to himself knowing that information could drive his volatile wife over the edge. Vaako's eyes took in the large man beside the regal blonde. Riddick's size made Buffy look even more delicate in comparison.
"You shouldn't let the Lord Marshall know of your interest, dearest. It would only make him more suspicious than he is normally. I will see what I can find out about him. I will oversee his conditioning personally during his time in the chamber."
Tersa looked at her husband with interest. "Let us retire until that time, my love. I think you have not been paying enough attention to your wife as of late." She brushed her hand down his body to caress him through his uniform. Tersa moved her body closer to Vaako until the only thing between them was their clothes.
Vaako gave her a heated look then held her firm rear in his hands so she could feel his response and kissed her hungrily. No matter what else either of them thought regarding other matters their passion for one another was very real and demanding. He pulled her along to their rooms and Tersa's husky laugh could be heard through the halls.
Buffy watched Riddick take in the Lord Marshall in a single glance from his silver-polished eyes. She felt him prepare himself for a possible attack, although his outward appearance showed no change, internally Riddick's senses were on high alert. He turned to the side slowly to glance at Buffy, as if he could sense her presence in his mind. She knew that was impossible, not after all her years of training under Nierra's strict rules. She wasn't even a prickling on the back of the neck, the kind that made the hairs stand on end. No, Buffy's powers were something almost fearsome, they were like the gentle fall from consciousness a child feels when going to sleep. Her frustration was that even with all the power her body now contained, the Powers refused to let her do away with the Necromonger's leader. Buffy knew once he was gone the others wouldn't be a problem; they would just take longer because of their shear numbers.
"Lady Anne, it is so good of you to escort our guest." The Lord Marshall eyed the beautiful blonde with a hunger matched only by his determination to reach Underverse. She intrigued and denied him at every turn.
Buffy bowed her head regally. "You're welcome, my lord, I find your guest most intriguing." Her voice held a note of curiosity and invitation.
Several Necromonger soldiers turned at the sound of Buffy's voice, never having heard her speak in that tone. More than just the Lord Marshall desired the petite woman who was strong enough to keep her father's holdings after his death. She also caught their interest with her knowledge of warfare without ever seeming brash or unladylike.
"Indeed, then I must get to know him, if he peeks your interest, Lady Anne." The Lord Marshall waved his hand for them to approach his 'throne' and take one of the seats prepared for intimate conversations.
Buffy placed her hand on Riddick's muscular forearm and walked beside him up the stairs. Many eyes followed the soft sway of her hips and the way she all but floated across the floor.
"The Lord Marshall does not take such a personal interest in many, you must be someone important."
"Then that means you are too, since he is definitely interested in you." Riddick answered without taking his eyes off the man on the throne at the top of the stairs. There was something more to the woman at his side and if Riddick had more time he would find out what it was, but he had to go and get Jack.
The Lord Marshall watched the two approaching him with no expression showing on his face. His inner turmoil wasn't visible, a Necromonger showed no fear, no emotion. He was thinking what a prime candidate Riddick was for the chamber to be reconditioned into no less than a Captain's position. From the corner of his eye, he saw Vaako and his ever-hungry wife enter the golden salon. Ah, Dame Vaako will your hungry eyes search out the newest player. Will you try to seduce him with your obvious charms and try to bend him to your will? I do not think this Riddick will bend to your will. Although... His eyes swept Buffy from head to toe. Yes, a man would do much to win favor in that lady's eyes. Lady Anne, what mystery lies behind your beautiful face and will I ever get a chance to know?
Buffy and Riddick now stood in front of the Lord Marshall; her face was as always a pale golden mask. She moved into a graceful curtsy, her body sweeping low to the ground while her hand remained on Riddick's arm. It was not the first time an unusual show of dexterity and grace on Buffy's part caught and held everyone's attention.
"My lord, who is this stranger?" Dame Vaako's sultry voice drifted across the room. She stood straight and proud in her poured on gold-toned gown.
"Dame Vaako, perhaps you need your vision checked. You talked earlier in the hall to this same man. I guess as one ages they are prone to forget things." Buffy's voice was sweet with an acid tip to it.
Dame Vaako stiffened and her husband had to hold her to him. "I admit that I distracted my lovely wife to such a degree she must have forgotten the prior meeting." He looked at everyone proudly letting them know just what distraction he spoke of. His wife didn't appreciate the ribald remarks and snickers but it was better than being thought feeble-minded. She would find a way to repay the blonde bitch for her insult.
Riddick's lips quirked into a slight grin, if you weren't watching closely, you would miss it completely. Buffy's changed eyes caught everything, from a person's own unique heat signature to the slightest crease of a wrinkle. At first, she thought her new vision was cool, but soon learned that, too much sensory information was hard for the brain to adjust to. She would have blinding headaches and be unable to see for days after a strenuous workout with Nierra. The water Elemental crossed Buffy's mind fleetingly. Nierra pushed her so hard in an effort to make Buffy focus on her training that Buffy's own emotional defenses fought back.
Now Nierra didn't know what to say or do to change the rift between them which was now the size of a canyon. Buffy didn't want to let anyone in after losing everyone she loved to a dimension where she trained to battle a different evil in an altogether different way. Her dark thoughts quickly dissipated by what happened next.
A contingent of Necromonger soldiers marched in guarding someone at their center. Buffy already knew who was being held and didn't like it one bit. She was never wrong when it came to reading the people in a room. Her senses kept expanding it seemed daily. If she were a different person, even her old self, she would be thrilled. Now, she saw it as a lifetime sentence to serve the Powers anyway they saw fit.
Buffy's predictions proved true when the guards parted to show the solid white of Aereon's hair and wispy clothes. She stepped forward with the bearing of a queen, her back straight and head held high.
"Ah, Aereon, once again we meet. How many years has it been - 10, 20, 50, a 100? The years pass more quickly now. Do you still hold to your beliefs, dear Aereon? Wouldn't you rather become a Necromonger?" The Lord Marshall's voice held an oddly seductive note while he spoke to the air Elemental.
"Do not speak such foolishness to me. You know your conditioning will not work on me, unless of course you would like me to test the quality of this one as well?" A fine white brow went up in a blatant challenge. Her pale grey eyes took on the color of a sky before a thunderstorm.
"My lord, will you not introduce us to your 'guest'?" Buffy's smooth voice queried. Her voice created the oddest effect on him, causing the powerful man to calm and turn to her with a smile.
"Lady Anne, may I introduce you to Aereon. She is, of course, an air Elemental. They are unusual creatures. You see they work on probabilities and unlike the elements they are named after, they are predictable. They always side with the weak and try to determine ways to make them strong. Where a Necromonger does the weak the favor of ending their useless lives and cull out the strong to keep."
Buffy stood up, knowing she didn't want to hear the man continue to crow about the greatness of his race. "May I approach her, my lord? I would learn more of such a race of fools." He bowed his head to her and Buffy made her way down the stairs towards Nierra's mother.
A pair of silver eyes followed her graceful descent down the stairs. Riddick took in the sleek golden muscles that flexed as she moved. He wondered if her skin felt as soft as it looked.
"She is very beautiful, isn't she?" Riddick turned his head slowly to stare into the ebony eyes of the Lord Marshall. "I am not sure that I have ever seen a woman as intelligent as she is beautiful until I met Lady Anne." Riddick didn't say a word just inclined his head in a smooth subtle nod. "Let us speak of you, Riddick. What are your feelings on what the Necromongers have done to this planet?"
"Not my planet." Riddick's gravelly voice responded. "The strong have always conquered the weak."
The Lord Marshall tried to see what lay behind those polished silver eyes with no luck. If the chamber didn't condition Riddick to his expectations then he would simply take his soul.
Buffy approached Aereon, whose eyes never wavered. She walked around the Elemental as if observing the newest animal at a zoo. Dame Vaako didn't want to be left out of the transaction and moved forward but stopped in her tracks when both women turned to stare at her. She felt cold air pass over her body and knew the Elemental was trying to work some spell on her. No, it was the fire of battle that she'd seen in Vaako's eyes. Having seen it often enough, her steps faltered when she saw that same light in Lady Anne's eyes. Dame Vaako smoothly backed up to her husband's side.
"Did you volunteer for this or were you caught?"
Aereon's eyes narrowed at Buffy's tone. She wasn't comfortable around this woman; she was an enigma and Aereon didn't like not knowing how to read her. She didn't like that fact that her daughter's fate lay on this woman's tiny shoulders.
"Does it matter how I came to be in this place? I am here now. The question is what are you doing here?" Aereon tried to intimidate the other woman with no effect.
"Why, I live here, didn't you know? I am accompanying the Lord Marshall on his journey to the Underverse." Deep green eyes stared into grey ones as a silent communication took place between them, to all outwards appearances, it looked like a power struggle, which was exactly what it was.
"Indeed, then you must be very important to travel in his company as an unmarried woman."
"I control my father's holdings since his death."
Aereon noticed the ring on Buffy's finger for the first time. It was a large band with the emblem of a falcon on it. She visibly paled when she saw the ring. Buffy searched through the sudden jumble of the other woman's emotions. She dug deep, down to the woman's very soul. She thought what the repercussions of this information meant and once more cursed the Powers for the games they played with other people's lives.
"My lord," Buffy's voice carried to the two men deep in conversation. Aereon stiffened, trying to determine if something she did or said gave away her carefully guarded secret.
"Yes, Lady Anne." He turned his attention back to the two women standing below his raised platform.
"I think this person should be taken to isolation and kept there until a proper place can be found for her. Elementals powers are unknown and since our conditioning won't work, then we should take this opportunity to study her. I have heard that some even have the gift of sight." Buffy worked hard to keep the smile from her face. She knew about the Lord Marshall's deepest, darkest fear, even if she hadn't known about the prophecy. Many years ago a seer, by the name of Aereon, told a young man named Marshall that he would achieve great things only to lose them to a Furyan.
Riddick looked at the woman in white, remembering her from Imam's house. Their eyes met for only a second before he turned back to the Lord Marshall. "What is an Elemental?"
The Lord Marshall turned back to his guest with interest. "You have never heard of an Elemental? Some think they are witches or magic users, but they are really just able to manipulate the molecules of their body constructs into whatever element's characteristics they are born under - earth, air, fire, water and ether. Aereon is an air elemental. She is able to fade into the air and move very swiftly over large distances. They do not believe in any gods but spend their time calculating the balance of the Universe trying to determine how best to keep that balance. They believe that every being is capable of good with the proper incentive, except Necromongers of course."
"Why won't your conditioning work on them? I thought you were the biggest bads in the universe."
Buffy really had to work hard not to laugh at hearing Riddick use one of her favorite terms from her time on earth. "Perhaps, I could help our guest to understand things better, my lord. I would be happy to give him a tour of our ship and allow him to watch me question the Elemental for himself." She smiled this time, allowing her face to soften.
Riddick was once again caught by her beauty. He noticed this smile didn't reach her eyes but it didn't appear that anyone else did. The men were all struck dumb as they watched the blonde beauty who talked to the Lord Marshall with respect but as an equal.
"I think that I would enjoy that." Riddick's deep voice was soft, but reached every ear in the hall.
"Very well then my dear, I will leave our guest in your capable hands. I can think of no where else if given the opportunity, a man would rather be."
Buffy bowed her head then held her hand out gracefully to Riddick. He immediately rose to his feet. making his way down the stairs to her. He took her outstretched hand in his, placing it on his arm. When their skin touched, a small hum went through their bodies. It was like a primal beat that rushed through them only to settle low in their bodies. Riddick bit the inside of his cheek while he fought for control. Buffy was in the same predicament, her nipples contracted to diamond peaks. It didn't show to anyone due to her ability to camouflage what a person saw when looking at her. Their eyes met and Buffy watched his nostrils flare when the subtle smell of her arousal wafted through the air to reach him.
Her eyes flashed as she glared at Aereon knowing the Elemental was pushing her scent towards Riddick. Two could play this game; she closed her eyes for a mere second. The only person who caught both the flash of red and gold then the lowering of her lids was the man beside her. Buffy dove into Aereon's mind. It wasn't her normal softly blowing whisper, but a blast of power that swept through Aereon's mind like a tornado.
Aereon stiffened and her outline shimmered as if she were about to fade away. The temptation to do just that was screaming at her. She closed her eyes tightly as Buffy screamed in her mind.
Don't mess with me, Wind Dancer. I have to do what the Powers decree and don't need you pushing me into anything. Understand this, you push me and I will push back, only harder than you can imagine. I have had enough of you and your daughter messing with me. Do we understand each other?
"Please, follow me." Buffy said out loud. Her eyes told Aereon that she expected an answer to her real question.
"Very well, Lady Anne, but you will get nothing useful from me."
"Don't be so sure of that, Elemental. I can be very persuasive when I want to be." Buffy looked up at Riddick with a soft smile. "When I find something that catches my interest."
The Lord Marshall didn't like the way that Lady Anne was looking at the newcomer, Riddick. He wanted her for his own and what he wanted, he soon got. The lady was just trying to make him jealous, he reasoned to himself.
Buffy led Riddick to the containment unit that would be Aereon's new home, at least until they defeated the Lord Marshall. Four guards walked in front of them, followed by four behind. The front unit stepped out of the way to allow Aereon to enter. Buffy stepped into the small but comfortable room after letting Riddick know that they would continue on to her rooms in a moment. He was satisfied to wait for her in the hallway. Riddick concentrated on learning the layout of the ship, rather than learning more about Aereon.
"Are you listening to me?" She paused to wait for Nierra's mother to answer her. "Good, don't you ever try to interfere again, if you think that I am bluffing; ask your daughter. Nie can tell you what I am capable of doing, and that I never bluff. Your secrets are safe with me, for now, but if you screw with me then all bets are off. No one is going to push me ever again. You can let the Powers know for me that when this is through, they can find themselves a new puppet. I quit."
"Do you really think that you can just walk away from everything that you are, everything that they have given you?" Aereon couldn't stop the shivers that raced down her spine when Buffy laughed.
"They haven't given me nothing. All they have ever do is take things away from me - family, friends, home. You are getting rusty if you think you can pull that line with me. Ask your daughter what I gave up on a whim from the Powers. They don't give, lady, they only take." Buffy turned and walked out of the room to join Riddick.
Aereon was visibly shaken from Buffy words. What kind of champion is she? Will she keep her promise about Nierra? Speaking of her daughter seemed to cause her to appear.
"Hello mother. I see from your face that you have met Buffy again. She is quite spectacular, isn't she?" Her blue eyes sparkled with mischief.
"Nierra, you have to leave here before someone sees you. Please, go now."
"You worry too much, mother. I have been on this ship with my champion for the last three months. No one has caught me in that time; I doubt they are going to now. What did your Riddick think of the Lady Anne? They will be very good for each other. Each is exactly what the other needs, one doesn't know how to live with others and the other doesn't know how to live without them."
Aereon's grey eyes looked on her daughter's beautiful blue face with the wonder she always felt. This wonderful creature was the best part of her life. She would do whatever it took to keep her safe even if it meant dealing with that horrible girl. "Nierra, she told me to ask you about her capabilities. What is her story?"
"She was the champion in another universe. When her and her friends had to face a much stronger enemy, they used a powerful spell to increase her power. The spell worked but there were long-term affects from it. She was left with more power than her world could contain. If she would have stayed, she would have ended up controlling it or destroying it. I unfortunately handled her training badly. I didn't give her enough time to adjust and it caused her to be very bitter. She will do what is needed, but I would be surprised if she did anymore than that or anything else after."
"You know her very well, dear. I wonder if she will be able to persuade Riddick to do what is necessary."
Nierra gave a soft bubbling chirp of laughter. "She could convince the Lord Marshall himself to turn around and go home."
"Then why?" Confusion was clearly written on Aeron's smooth brow.
"They will not allow her to use all the power that is at her fingertips. The prophecy must be allowed to come to fruition. She is to help Riddick, and if I know her, Buffy, already knows exactly how to do just that. I must leave you, mother. Please, be careful. I will come and see you again when I am able." Without another word, Nierra melted into a soft cloud of mist and floated away.
"Good-bye my love, please, be careful." The mist brushed against her skin in a soft kiss then disappeared.
Buffy could feel Riddick's polished eyes roam over her body while they walked to her private suite of rooms. She knew that she had to be very careful around this man. He saw much more than his chiseled features allowed to show on his face. She was glad in this instance that her enhanced senses gave her an added advantage. Buffy worked hard not to give a harsh bark of laughter, as it was only a slight tilting her lips showed the humor of her thoughts.
"Is there are reason for that smile and will I get to help you turn it into a real smile?" His deep voices vibrated the air between them.
Buffy slowed down to wait for the guards to open the doors to her rooms. She walked ahead of Riddick then glancing back over her shoulder to answer him in a honey-toned voice. "That depends on what you are willing to do in order to find out?"
He followed her into the room, closing the door in the guards' faces. "It would depend on what I was being offered. If the prize were large enough, I may be willing to do just about anything to have it." Riddick moved towards her with the grace of a panther. His large body didn't take away from his smooth movements, and his feet didn't make a sound as he walked across the highly polished marble floor. A muscular arm swept out capturing Buffy's waist, pulling her close.
They were front to front, their hearts perfectly aligned, as he held her up so that he could look into her eyes. The silver of his eyes glowed softly in the dim room. The only sound was their breaths softly brushing each other's cheeks. Buffy relaxed in his arms, knowing that he wanted her physically, but was also testing her limits. Her arms came up to lay lightly on his shoulders, then as if she couldn't help herself, they skimmed his cheeks moving to his shaved head.
Riddick could barely contain the feelings that rushed through his body. She explored every square inch of his head before her hands teased his ear lobes playfully. Her eyes sparkled with mischief as her finger traced his lips. He nipped the end pulling it, holding it there with his teeth. His tongue swirled around it while his eyes never left her face.
Buffy leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "Am I prize enough for you, Riddick? Or is the price of your soul higher? Perhaps, we should negotiate before you give in so easily. I wouldn't want you to think that I tricked you." She leaned away from him, pulling her finger from his mouth only to put it in her own.
The passion in his eyes flared higher. He pulled her closer to his body, letting her know exactly what she was doing to him. Buffy felt a heady sense of power, that didn't have anything to do with her so-called powers. The power a woman had over a man that desired her. It was a heady feeling, and one that Buffy hadn't felt in a long time, well one that she hadn't felt like reciprocating. Her pulse beat a little quicker, and once again, her nipples contracted. Even in her constricting clothes, Buffy wrapped her legs around Riddick's muscular hips. She pulled him close to her core, leaning forward to nip his ear lobe.
"Is that your answer? I can feel that you want me, but do you just want my body, or everything that comes with it?"
His arms held the weight of her body, and his hand moved down to cup her round firm rear. Riddick's other hand cupped the back of her head to capture her lips with his own. A deep rumble started deep in his chest then worked its way to the back of his throat. His tongue captured hers and they dueled for dominance. Buffy wrapped her arms around his neck, freeing him to explore her body. A large calloused hand moved up her leg under her dress. The tight material didn't seem to hamper him in any manner. He was almost to his target when a knock was heard at the door. They pulled away and Riddick reluctantly put her down. She took a deep breath then called out for whoever was waiting to enter.
The doors opened and an elegant looking older man swept into the room. Anyone that looked at him could tell that he was an important person. He walked forward only stopping a few feet away from Buffy bowing his head. "Lady Anne, the Lord Marshall sent me to request that you escort Mr. Riddick to the chamber. He is awaiting you there, and asks that you observe the proceedings with him."
Buffy nodded her head. Riddick looked from her to the man, knowing that they were saying more than their words. They seemed to be having a silent conversation while he looked on in curiosity. Buffy turned to him and he saw a flash of red and gold deep in her eyes. He thought it looked like a fire burned behind the green, causing them to look like precious emeralds.
"Will you come with me, Riddick? It will go a long way with the Lord Marshall if you are willing. Having him on your side will make your stay more comfortable." She waited for his answer.
"I would go with you anywhere you asked, as long as we can continue where we left off."
Buffy smiled at him before turning back to the other man. "I'm sorry, Riddick, this is our Purifier. He is the one in charge of conditioning for the Lord Marshall."