Chapter 7 - Passion


Lotor sat across from Allura. The small table in the kitchen preparation area gave them a sense of intimacy. There was no grand ballroom table stretching across a room or a balcony between them; only the span of four feet separated their legs.

He was trying a new approach in an effort to get his fair queen to eat. Instead of an elaborate feast of lamb shanks and grilled steaks, he had a lighter spread prepared for her. Small sandwich squares piled on a plate next to a traditional Drule sauce for dipping fruit into. Everything in front of her was unintimidating and bite-sized in an effort to get her to eat it.

To the king's immense satisfaction, it worked. Allura had devoured, warily at first, three of the miniature sandwich triangles. She'd tried the sauce on a berry before forgoing the dip in favor of just the fruit.

He sipped from his glass of wine as he watched her with rapt attention. Dainty fingers lifted a morsel of dessert and placed it past her full lips.

"There's no better way to make a girl feel self-conscious than to watch her eat, you know," she murmured as she plucked up another sandwich triangle. Her eyes never flickered to his, but she was very aware of the intensity of his gaze on her.

"Your health concerns me," he said after a moment.

"But you don't have to stare at me," she insisted, setting the small triangle down and glaring at him across the table. He watched her for a moment and shook his head once.

"Very well," he said as he rose abruptly from the table and walked toward where a wall of ovens sat. He folded his arms behind him and afforded her a degree of privacy. Allura eyed him for a moment before glancing back to the tray of tiny sandwiches. With one last look toward Lotor, she quickly shoveled the food into her mouth.

With her elevated anxiety levels lessening, Allura's appetite had returned in force, recognizing her lack of nutrients over several days. She flushed brightly as he turned around and noticed the tray was empty in front of her. She dabbed her lips daintily in response. He grinned, the tips of his fangs appearing.

"Good," he muttered, clearing the tray. "Now the fruit," he pointed. She scowled.

"You can't tell me what to do."

"I'm the king, you're the queen. Of course I can."

"I'm your wife."

"Exactly," he said, and blinked as the intensity of her statement dawned on him.

"When has any man ever successfully told his wife what to do," she murmured playfully.

He stared, struck by her banter. Allura hadn't been much for humor with him the past few days, and the ease with which she addressed her sudden, new relationship to him caught him by surprise. Without warning, his lethal grin widened across his face. He was pleased by her fire, her humor, and the comfort with which she retaliated against him.

She plopped a berry in her mouth and followed it up with a sip of water. He wandered back to the small table and eased himself into the chair. He averted his gaze, giving her some privacy while she devoured much-needed sustenance.

"My schedule is clear for the evening, but tomorrow I'll be in a few meetings in the morning. A few planets have questions with the change in leadership and I need to address their concerns," he explained, flipping through a couple sheets of paper.

Allura glanced up at him, openly surprised. She swallowed the fruit in her mouth and sat back in her chair.

"Why are you sharing this with me," she inquired. He glanced up toward her over the paper schedule.

"…You're the queen. I genuinely meant what I said. It wasn't just for show against my father, Allura. You're the queen of the Empire. …would you prefer not to be in the know? I can handle everything for you if you prefer."

Allura stared.

"I… no," she trailed off thoughtfully. "I suppose I didn't realize my opinion on anything mattered to you," she admitted after a moment. She speared a bite-sized piece of roasted meat and popped it into her mouth, contemplating the information he had given her.

He studied her closely and as she glanced to him and blushed. When she paused in her chewing, he averted his gaze once more.

"What do you do in meetings like that?" She leaned forward on the table toward him, finding herself surprisingly interested in some aspects of his life.

"What is it that you think I do, Allura?" He turned the question back on her, careful to keep his eyes on the paperwork in his lap in an effort to encourage further consumption.

Allura nibbled on a biscuit thoughtfully for a moment.

"I don't know," she answered truthfully. "I know what I do on Arus, but I…" She paused and blinked, setting the remaining portion of biscuit down on her plate.

Lotor locked his eyes on hers.

"I… don't know. I suppose I figure Zarkon just… threatened and bullied everyone until he got his way out of fear. Anyone who didn't give him what he wanted was… destroyed. I mean. I can't say he's ever outwardly tried any thoughtful diplomatic relations with Arus," she explained, slowly putting together the disjointed thoughts in her mind. "How does a planet become part of the Drule Empire besides being conquered?"

"They don't," he explained after a moment. "You're exactly correct in your observation. If it's not inhabited by Drules, it had been… procured by them. Local residents conform or… well, they conform one way or the other," he finished. He watched her expression closely.

"How… is that sustainable, though? You have a growing civilization," she began, pausing to consider her words. Lotor found himself surprised at how comfortably she just took the conquering to be a fact and moved forward. "And when you take from planets on such a level that they can't reproduce, or the planet is ripped apart in combat – how do you sustain your people that way? Your populations keep rising, but you leave dead planets in your wake."

"We can't."

Allura's eyes widened at his answer. Lotor shifted his weight in his chair, crossing one leg over the other as he leaned back. Dropping the stack of papers in front of him on the table, he nodded his head toward it.

"This has never been done before."

"I… so what is it… that you're doing," she asked, her lips parted in confusion.

"My father is exceedingly proud. And it has driven the Empire into a dangerous economic decline. Action needs to be taken," he finished, sitting back and smiling at her.

Allura felt a chill flutter down her spine as something about what he said resonated with her. Hope should have been her predominant emotion – she felt as though she should have been excited that Lotor was not considering following the same path of reckless and wanton destruction that his father took. But hidden in his words was something dark that she knew she was missing. She frowned at him. The lethally sweet smile he bestowed upon her solidified her fears that there was an undertone she was missing, and he was waiting patiently for her to piece it together.

She shook her head once and took a bite out of an apple nearby. Lotor's terrifying look faded into one of appropriate satisfaction. She frowned at him, trying to divine the hidden message he was holding back from her.

"I'd like to go back to Arus soon," she articulated after a moment of consideration. "I need… I need to explain to them what's going on. Otherwise they're going to come here eventually and try and burn the place down," she said. "They're really cross with me right now, but I need to go anyway," she added after a moment.

"Why are they so angry?" He looked up at her from his documents.

"Because they don't understand. They think I didn't trust them, but that's not the case," she explained. "They don't realize our arrangement and why I couldn't say no. It had nothing to do with not trusting them to come for me, or not believing in their capabilities. …but I couldn't explain that over an unsecure line," she added.

"Why didn't you tell them?" He tilted his head to the side as she nudged her plate to the side, indicating she was finished. His quick eyes swept over the remaining dishes. Satisfied she had consumed an adequate amount of nutrition, he let the subject drop.

"I…" She trailed off, confused. "I mean I will, I just…"

"You intentionally kept the reason for your acquiescence out of the public spotlight. Why," he pushed her carefully. Allura just returned his curiosity with a stunned look.

"Why would I? One, that's my private business, not the galaxy's," she tapped off her index finger. "Two, I can't even begin to imagine the political complications on your end if that came out. My understanding is that it's better if your people believe you just bullied me into it." She looked thoughtful for a moment before tapping on her ring finger. "And three, can you imagine how furious your father would have been if he knew everything?" She shook her head once, a shiver running down her spine.

Lotor stayed quiet while he watched her, his eyes drawn to the darkening bruise around her slender neck. His lips tensed slightly as he checked his rising fury.

"What's wrong?" Her eyes widened as she saw his own harden dangerously. "What are you looking- oh," she blinked, realizing what her skin must look like. She reached up and self consciously fluffed her hair over her shoulders, concealing most of the evidence of her near-fatal incident. "It's fine," she said after a moment.

He closed his eyes and exhaled sharply through his nose in response.

"We can agree to disagree on that sentiment, Allura," he said darkly.

"Anyway," she said shyly, toying with one of the strands of hair falling over her shoulder. "I never got a chance to ask you. Why…. How did… I mean," she paused, pressing her lips together in frustration that she couldn't gather her words properly. He chuckled darkly at her, eliciting a blush from her cheeks. "Why the crown and the… thing," she gestured across her shoulders.

"Ah, my dear, they are the queen's Crown and Drape. All queens have worn them in some capacity. Each has been slightly different, tailored to meet the personality of each, but they are a symbol of your authority in the Empire."

Allura sat back, stunned.

"And that's where I'm still confused. Why… why?" She started off initiating a question and ended with just the interrogative.

"As I said. You are my queen, not my servant. The Empire, contrarily, serves you. Do you remember when we crossed paths a few years ago, I promised you the universe? I meant it. We govern the stars themselves," he finished reverently.

"But why do you need me to do that," she pressed, still finding his words to be confusing. "It sounds like you had that already. Why share it?"

He stared at her openly for a moment before replying in the most raw and honest way he could, as if the answer were obvious.

"Because you are the woman I love."

Allura stared across the table at the new king flatly. She'd heard the word 'love' from Lotor many times before, usually accompanied by a display of power, bloodsport or holding her at swordpoint. She snorted in response.

"I don't believe you actually understand what that means," she said after a moment.

"Of course I love you! I'd slay planets for you, spill blood and burn skies to prove it!"

Allura's lips twitched in response.

"That's not what love is to me, Lotor." She shook her head sadly. "Love is a gratuitous demonstration of force; it is not a coveting of what is 'the best,' as you have so referred to me now. It's about gentleness and softness. It's about strength and compassion. It's about putting the needs, wants and desires of the person you feel affection for first because they're important to you. It's not about taking," she finished flatly, sipping more of her water. "It's about giving."

Lotor stared at her darkly for a moment, his eyes filled with an unreadable emotion. Allura worried for a moment she had pushed him too far when he responded.

"My turn to ask a question," he said, masking any of the remaining thoughts he had on the subject of love. When she looked perplexed, he continued. "How did you get here?"

"Well, you cornered me in your bedroom and told-"

"…Before that. I don't mean here," he gave her a dry look, well aware she was teasing him with her literal interpretation. His suspicions were confirmed when her lips twitched ever so slightly in response. "I meant to Doom. My Sky Captains have scoured the area, there's no sign of any ship, much less the Blue Lion."

Allura leaned back in her seat and glared at him.

"Why would I tell you that?"

"So that mans that Blue Lion is somewhere on my planet," he murmured off-handedly. Allura's eyes widened.

"I didn't say that! Why would you assume that?"

"I didn't… but your sudden panic confirms my suspicions. Now, where did you hide that massive beast?"

She crossed her arms over her chest in defiance.

"Dammit Allura, why won't you tell me?"

"Why? Why do you need to know that? How do I know you won't just tear it apart or try and build one of your own?" She scowled back at him. "You only promised that Voltron would stay under my control, and you wouldn't harm the pilots. You never said you wouldn't tear apart my lion, either just because you could, or to see how it worked. I'm not giving away my secrets," she finished with a dark glare.

He returned her look in kind. A heavy silence settled across the table. Allura was the first to break it with a sigh, dropping her hands back to her lap and her gaze back to the table. She was no match for the fury of the Drule king.

"Okay, that was… unnecessarily hostile on my part," she admitted after a moment. "But why do you want to know? Why does it matter to you where it is?"

"I'm fascinated that you managed to park that beast somewhere and elude all of my guardsmen. Allura, you were so stealthy you broke into one of the most fortified bases in the galaxy. And I still have yet to see how you even got onto the guarded planet in the first place. That's damned impressive," he finished with open awe. She blinked at him in surprise, a slight blush on her cheeks.

"It wasn't that stealthy, obviously. You found me," she said quietly.

"Allura, if I hadn't happened to be in the same hallway as you, you probably would have come and gone undetected," he admitted openly.

"Not possible, you came right to me, like… like someone had told you exactly where I was," she flustered with a slight frown.

"Allura. I always see you." She gasped and glanced up to him, struck frozen by the dark intensity of his gaze. As soon as he caught her eye, Allura found she couldn't look away. It resembled the snare of a predator; hypnotizing and lethal. Her blood felt like ice beneath her burning skin and her heart trembled violently in her chest beneath his scorching gaze. "Always." She swallowed fearfully.

After several seconds of heart-palpitating silence, Lotor released her from his gaze. With a slow blink, he opened his lids and looked off to the side, leaving the Arusian to catch the breath she had been holding.

"We shall go to Arus tomorrow afternoon once my morning meetings are finished," he said after a moment, setting his empty wine glass down.

"Wait. 'We'?" She fixed him with a surprised gaze.

"I don't intent to leave you alone for a moment, my dear," he said lazily. She shivered.

"…It would probably be best if I went in first so they don't shoot you on sight," she said after a second of thinking.

"That would be suitable," he agreed. "In the meantime," he rose from the table and eyed her enthusiastically. "We should head to bed."

Allura rose warily from the table, eyeing him cautiously.

"…you mean go to sleep," she supplied hopefully. He watched her with a wicked glint in his eye.

"Eventually."


Allura found herself in a strange predicament. She stood in the shower of their bedchamber, blissfully left to her own devices to bathe, but Lotor was waiting with all certainty outside for her to finish. Her shower dragged on as she tried to steel her nerves.

The water splashed off the black marble around her, echoing oddly in the quiet room. She had run out of delays. The bathroom had no windows from which she could flee. The hot water hit her shoulders as she closed her eyes. Arrogant beast, she thought darkly. Albeit relatively under-informed on the subject of physical courtship, Allura had a very good idea of what 'wifely duties' entailed.

She shut off the water with resignation. Maybe he'll just take no for an answer, she thought hopefully as she toweled off. Time seemed to slow as she took extra care. Her hair itself was practically dry by the time she set the towel aside.

With little left to delay herself with, she walked across the bathroom to where the garments she had grabbed were resting. She unfurled the floor-length cotton gown. White. How fitting. She rolled her eyes before pulling it on over her head.

The breezy garment, like most of her other Drulishly-acquired pieces, hugged her body like a second skin before flowing to the floor from her hips. It, too, rested off her shoulders with little cap sleeves over her forearms.

Allura stood in front of the door and exhaled slowly before opening it suddenly. Lotor flashed her a grin from where he was laying in the bed. The blue satin sheets draped over his hips and his chest was strikingly bare. With a cry, Allura slammed the door shut again and bolted it.

"Allura, dammit…" she heard him grumble from the other side of the door. There was a rustling she couldn't place as she struggled to catch her breath. Her cheeks flushed hot at the memory of him. She had only looked for a second, but the image was emblazoned in her mind.

Lotor had been propped up on one side, his elbow under him as he watched the door. The sheets had pooled over his hip and between his thighs, but the rest of him had been as bare as a newborn babe. The muscles from his shoulders to his ankles were chiseled and raw, his chest defined and smooth, almost glinting in the flickering firelight.

A gentle knock sounded on the bathroom door as Allura cradled her mortified face in her hands. There's just no way I can go through with this.

"Allura, I'm… come out, please." She said nothing, her back pressed against the door.

"…I'm wearing pants now," he added uncomfortably after a moment. She stared across the bathroom, breathing heavily as he murmured to her through the solid barrier. She thrust her fingers into her hair in a panic before exhaling. She turned back to face the door.

It took a couple of tries for Allura to unbolt the bathroom door; her hands trembled too much. Warily, she swung it open. Lotor glanced up from where his face had been buried in his palms. A quick look revealed his honesty – he was sitting on the edge of the bed, bare feet on the ground, satin black pants hugging his hips again. He looked to her as she stood in the doorway of the bathroom. Her skin was a strange mixture of ash and cherry, her eyes carefully concealing the torrent of emotions behind them. He felt as though he were staring into the eyes of a wild animal. Curious, but ready to bolt at a second's notice.

With practiced slowness, he straightened upright, and gestured carefully to the large bed. She swallowed nervously. Her lips were pressed together tautly as she took her first few steps into the room. His eyes flashed over her body before returning to her face. He was careful not to linger lest it frighten her. From what he had seen, however, she was magnificent. The gown kept little from his imagination and from the way it curved around her, it was apparent she wore nothing beneath it.

The haughty coldness with which she strode into the room and around the bed to her side startled him slightly. She wore the mask of a warrior heading into battle, not of a lover coming to bed. He stayed still, only turning his head to watch her circle the bed. It wasn't until she stood on the opposite side of the bed that his torso turned to continue tracking her movement. Allura watched him with frosty wordlessness.

Without warning she catapulted herself onto the mattress, grabbed for the sheets and yanked them up around her shoulders. Her body curled into a tight ball on her left side, her back to her new husband.

Lotor watched her for a moment, noting the tremble in her shoulders. Silently he stood up and moved near the door where he extinguished the lights. Only the firelight remained as he returned to the right side of the bed.

Allura pressed her eyes closed tightly.

Please, just go to sleep, she prayed silently. She felt the mattress shift behind her as it came to bear his weight as well. Her fingers curled tightly around the sheet at her shoulders and her knees tucked higher into her chest.

The wind left her lungs in a panicked exhale when the weight of one of his arms draped over her ribs. She squeezed her eyelids closed tighter and just braced. If Allura believed there were any chance she could win the fight against him she would have retaliated, but she knew that she was weaker, physically, by far.

She opened one eye when he didn't move. His chest pressed into her back and his bicep rested heavily against her ribcage just under her breasts. His forearm lay powerfully – but dormant, on the mattress in front of her. His fingers sprawled across the bedsheet near her collarbone, but the only touch he initiated was against her back and her ribs. Still, she waited for his next move.

None came.

Allura gradually let her breathing return to its normal cadence as she reveled in the sensation of being pinned under his arm. The hand before her was his right hand – his dominant sword arm.

A moment ticked by and Allura grew braver. Her cheeks were flaming red and she was pleased he couldn't see them. She reached up and with trembling hands, lightly brushed over the top of his hand. His fingers flexed out across the mattress in response and Allura froze. Gently, she repeated the subtle gesture. Once more, his hand repeated the flex, but did not otherwise move.

With fortifying courage, she shifted slightly so that she could trace the pads of her fingertips along his forearm. She stilled as a shudder vibrated behind her back. As it diminished and no other movement came about, she resumed her curious trace of his arm. Her digits gracefully danced across his veins and muscles, following the fascinating contours of a master swordsman.

Before she realized it, she had rolled back against him to touch his bicep on her ribs. Once more, she froze as he groaned behind her. Allura retracted her hands back to her chest in surprise.

"Don't stop," he whispered into her ear. His voice sounded off – hoarse and tense. It commanded an air of authority, but ultimately it was a request. She flushed as pink as her flight suit when she found herself obeying the command and returned her trembling hands to his arm, lightly dusting across unexplored terrain. It was foreign not only in that it was Lotor, but that it was male. She had never been so close to a male's body before and had the chance to study it closely. Many moments had been spent braced against Keith, but they had come and gone in the heart and heat of battle. This was an entirely different kind of heat.

Eventually she shifted completely onto her back and looked up into his eyes. He was propped up on his other arm, leaving his dominant arm lying lazily across her torso. The desire behind his eyes was unreadable as she made eye contact with him. Her heart trembled.

"You know," he murmured, his voice only holding a hint of a verbal sound with most of it being a whisper. "It doesn't hurt. It doesn't have to, anyway," he said. Cautiously, he moved the arm across her off her ribs and lazily drew it up her side. He paused as she stiffened when he touched the side of her breast. When she didn't panic, he carefully continued up to her shoulder and to her collarbone. His fingertips grazed the side of her neck and she flinched physically away from him.

"Despite what you may think – what I may have led you to believe in the past," he started, gently, leisurely tracing his fingers across the side of her throat from ear to shoulder in a gentle, stroking manner. "I won't hurt you. Not this time. Not ever again."

She closed her eyes and just braced against the lazy brush against her wounded skin.

"Does it hurt now?"

She cracked on eye open at him and thought about it carefully.

"…no," she whispered. Her voice vibrated like an earthquake of fear.

"I want-" He paused, considering his words carefully. "…I'd like… to try something, Allura. It won't be fast or unexpected. And you can say stop whenever you like, and I'll stop. Is that-"

"Stop!" Her blue eyes were wide, her breath frozen in her lungs. She watched him with fear and, as promised, his hand stilled in its gentle massage of her throat.

"I haven't started yet," he said after a moment, tilting his head to the side. "Give it a chance," he encouraged. Allura's eyes widened to the size of frightened saucers when his palm opened and spread over the width of her throat. It nearly covered the bruise his father had left.

She closed her eyes and trembled, none too pleased to have another Drule hand around her windpipe. Though, she had to admit, once she calmed down, it didn't feel… unpleasant. On the contrary… She blinked, her cheeks blushing at the very subtle pressure his grasp on her presented while his thumb stroked in a lazy circle on the side.

"I…"

"There we go," he murmured gently to her, encouraging her to stay calm. His weight shifted slightly as he rose up off his side. He was very careful with his control on her flesh, knowing one wrong misstep of strength would end every chance he had.

No longer resting on his left hand but instead relying on the muscles in his thighs as he knelt next to her, he drew his left arm up her side and stroked her hair back from her face before leaning in.

The kiss surprised the blond. She had expected domination, possessiveness and greediness. Contrary to their wedding, his lips were soft and yielding, as if he were giving to her instead of taking. He offered the initiation, but left the rest up to her. He allowed her the room to explore. Even as Allura gasped at the tightening of his left hand on her hip, he did not push the kiss further, and instead allowed her the space to adjust. Much to her shock, she found herself cautiously returning the kiss and her hand even coming up to brush his hair by his face.

She leaned back to breathe deeply, and he, again, allowed her the freedom to set the pace. She stared up at him, her fingers absentmindedly brushing his hair out of his eyes while his hands lazily stroked both her throat and her hip.

"I…"

She trailed off, a crimson hue flooding her cheeks as she contemplated her next words. Lotor had made a bargain with her and he had, to her knowledge, kept every promise he had made. He had protected her from his father. She even thought she had seen the faintest hints of compassion earlier.

"…I trust you," she said, to both their surprise.

"It does not go unappreciated, I assure you," he murmured in a gravelly voice as he leaned in to reclaim her lips. Allura tensed slightly before relaxing more into his embrace.


So! Here it is! Additionally, I did something I have never tried to do before. I make no guarantees it's not an absolute dumpster fire. BUT. I continued writing this scene. I've never written anything explicit before, but I thought I would give it a try. Paranoid that I would get in trouble for posting it here, I've migrated the other part to my DA account. If you're totally happy with your imagination running wild from here, totally fine and thanks for reading this far!

If, alternatively, you're curious for the what happens next section... it's here: crystalrebellion -deviantart - com/art/Hades-Covenant-Chapter-7-Addendum-688457964

With the - before deviant and com replaced with . (The rest of the dashes are dashes.)

If the link isn't working, you can hunt down Crystal Rebellion on Deviantart and you will find it.

Again I make no promises. First try writing this kind of thing. Thanks for reading!