“A time spent away from work to simply relax and have fun.”

  “What kind of work do you and your ‘crew’ partake in? I am most interested in work that includes women.”

  “Women don’t work here?” She seemed taken aback.

  “Women are not needed for work. Simply to make a home for a man and provide for his physical needs.” He believed he saw her bristle. Anger began to come off the tiny female in waves. Clearly he had offended her. How, was quite the mystery.

  “There are women who like and can work,” she bit out, grasping the sheet so tight it began to slink down, the see through material showing her breast.

  He smiled now, clearly distracted by the picture she displayed. Fine breasts they were, small but round and firm looking. One nipple began to pucker and he lost himself in the thought of running his tongue across one…

  “Well?” she asked again, louder this time.

  He shook his head as he was never one to lose concentration.

  “Please repeat your question, Karia.” He paused when he said her name. It sounded foreign but unique, like her.

  “I asked you when would I be able to see Brietta?” She looked at him expectantly, oblivious to her breast on display. He tore his eyes away.

  “Bela will tell you.” He needed to get away from this little spitfire. She was wreaking havoc on his body and mind. “I’ll send her in.”

  Abruptly he left, determined to get to the bottom of this little mystery this woman provided and then take her somewhere far enough away where she couldn’t cause him any more trouble.

  “How is the little human woman doing?” Bri’aque asked with much more humor than Torin appreciated. Torin flopped rather unroyally in the chair across from Bri’aque setting his massive fists on the table.

  “One thing is certain above all others. She is quite the little liar.” Torin grunted, waving a hand at a hovering servant waiting to fill his goblet with the only thing that could help his mood. Chandrin. A brain killer if ever there was any.

  “Well, a good -looking one at that. So is her companion.” Bri’aque tossed his own goblet back, emptying the Chandrin easily.

  “Yes well, her companion’s Calling is Brietta. Bela said it would be many nights before she is conscious.”

  “Brietta,” Bri’aque murmured almost to himself.

  “Don’t get fashioned with her, Bri’aque, they cannot stay.”

  Bri’aque looked up sharply, eyeing his life-long friend before bursting out in a loud rumble of laughter.

  “The little human has gotten under your skin!” he bellowed. “Ha. I did not think I would see the day when you were put upon by a female.”

  “She is annoying,” Torin answered defensively.

  “Or rather she is hard to figure out. She might be good for you, Brother of Heart. Politics can be boring. It might be time you indulged in some fun.” Bri’aque waved a servant over to fill his goblet.

  “She is keeping a secret. I don’t like secrets in my domain.” Torin slapped one of his fists on the large white marble table.

  “It is not the fact she has a secret, friend. It is because she won’t share it with the likes of you.” Bri’aque laughed again at his own humor before trying to appear somewhat serious before his First. “All the more reason to keep her here. We need to find out why they were there in the first place.”

  “I agree,” Torin answered.

  “Did you tell her about the implant?” Bri’aque asked, trying desperately to hide his humor in the situation.

  “No. It was not the right time,” Torin interrupted.

  “She will probably be angry. However, I think it was a clever move on your part.”

  “Will you be so smug when the other little human comes to, Bri’aque?” Torin asked, turning his tawny gaze fully on his friend.

  “Whatever do you mean?” Bri’aque carelessly lifted his goblet to yet again empty to his contents.

  “You found the other human woman. Therefore, you are responsible for her.” Torin was rewarded with the sound of sputtering and choking.

  Though Bela was quite nice, she fussed too much and Karia was only too glad when she was finally dressed and given permission for a short stroll. It would be interesting to get to know this place. She was pleased at the warm tile under her feet as she walked. So many nights. So many dark nights in that cold cave with nothing but dirt and rock under her.

  She shook her head; there would be enough time for that later. She was told she might wander but not to open any doors . In other words, don’t snoop. Fine with her, she was just grateful she and Brietta had been saved.

  She did not know what she would tell Torin. He seemed a very important man. A man with a shrewd eye and too many questions. So Fallon One was already occupied. Well, it stood to reason that it had been years since her father discovered the planet was even there. Plenty of time for it to become settled it seemed.

  He gave the planet to the Gaurans, is what he said. How important was he that he could give whole planets? More than that what the hell was a Gauran?

  Karia let her feet take her wherever they deemed. She found herself going down a winding corridor and enjoyed the pictures on the wall, though she couldn’t name one strange animal or tree-like subject, all the same it was beautiful. She heard the deep rumble of a voice now becoming fast familiar. She followed the sound, drawn to it like a moth. She hovered in the doorway, mouth agape. He seemed agitated as he talked to a large screen with a beautiful female who bore a striking resemblance to him though much older.

  “Your father and I are taxed with you, Torin. You are well past the age of Attachment.”

  “Mother, I have no interest in becoming Attached just yet, though it is on my immediate agenda when the Gauran problem is taken care of. You do remember that little nuisance we’ve been dealing with?”

  “Do not speak to me with such sarcasm!” the woman snapped, her identical tawny gaze going angry. “You forget your Attachment could mean more political allies that could quite possibly help solve the problem of the Gaurans!”

  “That would indicate a weakness on our part to need help, Mother. The First Order does not need to project that image at this crucial time,” Torin bit out, clearly as exasperated with his mother as she was with him.

  “Tell me of these humans. It has been a moon cycle since you came about them. What do you plan to do with them?”

  A moon cycle? On Earth, a complete moon cycle took weeks. She had been asleep for weeks! Dear God, no wonder her fingernails were grown! She gasped—stupidly enough, out loud—drawing the attention of the mother and son.

  Torin could not have wished for a worse time for the female to appear. His mother would start to get unholy ideas in her head and he would be powerless to stop her. She would run straight over him with his father in tow, going straight for the kill, wanting him Attached so badly. He needed to fix the situation before it got out of hand.

  He chose to address his mother first before he went any further. “I plan to sell them at the market. Seeing as how rare they are, they would bring in a fine price. I’ll take the proceeds and buy Chandrin for the soldiers, it will help their morale.”

  He grinned wickedly before turning his gaze to the shocked human. He could tell her later that he planned no such thing, but for now…

  “Karia, please return to your chambers post-haste. I must speak to Bela about letting you roam free.” He saw the anger rising faster than any war vessel taking off. She balled her tiny fists and threw him a glare that promised he would be sorry, and he no doubt knew he would be. She pivoted rather gracefully, but spoiled the graceful exit with stomping back every step of the way.

  “Well, the human woman is quite a spectacle to behold,” his mother responded, the humor dripping.

  “So far I have come to the conclusion that the base nature of a human is anger. It is all I ever see from her,” he murmured to himself, knowing full well that somehow he was to blame for it in some obscure way.

  “Do be careful, dear, and remember your time grows short. If you do not announce an Attachment soon, your father and I have the right to choose one for you.”

  She signed out before he could respond. Just like her, always getting the last word. He sighed heavily. For reasons he couldn’t comprehend, he knew he should apologize to the human. He was First Son not obligated to apologize to anyone, even if he were wrong—his birthright gave him that privilege. Even knowing this, he headed for her quarters.

  Chapter Three

  Anger blazed through her blinding her. How dare he? Yes, he was her savior but not her master. Her anger began to palpitate through her very being. Slave? He was selling her and Brietta? No telling what sort of people would buy them. She’d never heard of a willing slave. All sorts of scenarios ran through her mind… A slave she would not be! She would not allow it.

  She did not endure years of painful tests and shots to survive, just to become someone’s slave. There had to be some way out of this place, off this planet. Her anger began to rise, along with the fear that she and Brietta may not have been saved after all. It was up to her to save them both. How could she have mistaken him as her savior?

  A nagging feeling along with intense panic and anger consumed her; she knew she had to get her anger under control. The more she thought about the situation the madder she got. Technically she was at his mercy. She and Brietta, God only knows where he was keeping her. What if Brietta wasn’t alive after all, what if he was just saying that to make her compliant?

  She began to see a haze in front of her eyes. It was familiar and yet, she couldn’t focus her thoughts. The anger was familiar…Thoughts began to war, the haze became stronger and then she heard her door open with a swoosh. There stood the brute. The Master, she thought sarcastically. She wanted to attack him, he was in her way, and he meant her ill will. She crouched slightly, preparing for a fight. She saw a look of total disbelief on his face before she launched at him.

  If Torin did not see what he was seeing he wouldn’t believe it. Nothing prepared him for the state the human was in when her quarters opened for him. She was almost feral.

  What shocked him the most were her eyes. Purple like the Gaurans. If his guess was correct and he was sure it was, her whole manner was like a Gauran. Could she have somehow become infected from an attack?

  It did not seem logical since a Gauran was a being not a disease or virus. But yet as she crouched and prepared for attack, he knew she was not herself. Or was she? She launched at him, and with strength he did not know such a small body could possess, she slashed at his chest going for the heart. He jumped back in time slamming her into the dresser and trying not to hurt her. But quickly she was on her feet again growling deep in her throat.

  “Karia, I did not mean what it was I said,” he tried to soothe her. “I only said that so my mother would not get any idea about us getting Attached.”

  He backed up slowly until the back of his knees met the sleeping pod. Just as he predicted she launched at him again. He caught her shoulders in a tight grip and twisted them both so she was on bottom. He held most of his own weight but put enough on her legs to render her immobile. He pinned her hands on either side of her head.

  “Listen to me foolish woman!” he bellowed.

  She seemed to get angrier with that. He decided that was not a wise course to pursue. With little effort, he pinned her and took a moment to take a deep breath before starting again.

  “I do not wish you harm. If I wanted to harm you, I would have already done so. I do not have any intentions of selling you or your friend. I came here to tell you this.” He waited for his words to settle into her anger-soaked brain, and within a few moments, he saw her anger slowly beginning to diminish. Then she passed into unconsciousness. Interesting, Torin thought to himself, very interesting.

  Karia woke to a head splitting headache. It pulsed like it was a life unto itself. She opened her eyes slowly, taking in her environment. She was no longer in the room previously given to her. This one looked like a hospital room from Earth and much warmer. She sat up, and was astonished to find she was not alone. Torin sat in a non-remarkable chair midway in the room. He gave her the three-legged dog look.

  “Why am I here?” Her voice croaked as she spoke and rose from the bed. She grabbed her own throat and massaged it. It felt as if her throat were raw from screaming.

  “What do you remember?” Torin spoke low but she heard him clearly.

  “Well I—” She paused, trying to call up her last memories. Torin in a room. A woman. Slave? “Something about you selling me into slavery. It made me very angry.”

  “Do you remember what happened in your quarters?”

  ‘Did we—Did I—” She paused again, horrified. Did she get drunk and sleep with this man. Was that what he was alluding to?

  He laughed not at her, but obviously at her words. “There were no relations between us, little one. I am referring to you attacking me.”

  “You’re crazy! Me attack you? That would be suicide for me.” She laughed then grabbed her throat at the rawness.

  “I believe the soreness in your throat comes from the growling you exhibited at me.” He stood now but paced widely around her bed slowly. “There is something about you, Karia, that needs answering. You keep secrets. I believe you harbor secrets even you don’t know about. I am afraid your behavior has warranted that you be kept away from the general population of my Home. Your friend will join you as soon as she is well enough, right now she poses no threat because she still has quite a bit of healing to do.”

  “Threat? You consider me a threat? But I’ve never hurt anyone.” Karia teared up. Was this some sort of set up? “Why are you doing this to me?”

  Torin continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “When I have a guest in my home who is a stranger, such as yourself, they are closely monitored. You were being watched. Any private acts such as bathing or dressing were not recorded, the servants see to that. However, I have something for you to watch.” He pushed a button on a small device that his hand had hidden. A projection appeared on the white walls. Karia watched, fascinated. Then her fascination turned to horror. Her horror turned to nausea.”

  “I’m going to be sick.” she whispered, as the sight of her—so feral—burned into her mind. “That can’t be me.” she squeaked to herself, grabbing her stomach and slumping with her back against the end of the bed.

  “I believe you harbor secrets, Karia. Secrets that may have a lot to do with why the Gaurans have changed.” Torin paced in the other direction around the bed. “The black line on the floor is for your protection, do not try to cross it. If you do, you will suffer severe burns.” He paused and waited for her reaction.

  “My father…” She choked, thinking of him.

  “What about him?” Torin questioned.

  When she refused to answer, he bent to her level and saw the tears pouring from her eyes. She was scared. Whatever was wrong with her she had no idea. He tried to see things as she would. His parents taught him that. See things in another’s view. She had been attacked, her friends and possibly family, all killed. A strange planet with strange people. And now this. He believed anyone would reach a breaking point.

  She cried so hard her body shook. He cursed at himself and his weakness for her, with a push of his master key, he deactivated the detainment field around her bed and crossed over to hold her. She was not a monster, she was lost. He held her tiny frame while she cried. He kissed the top of her curly soft head and felt her hands clutch at him like he was her lifeline. He liked it. He liked touching her. He didn’t care that she had Gauran genes in her. He didn’t even know her, yet he knew whatever happened to her didn’t change her baser self. He lifted her wet face and, with one of his hands, wiped the tears away. She sniffled as if a child would, and then lowered her head in shame.

  “You’ve nothing to be ashamed of, little human. It seemed this thing was done to you without your knowledge. We will find out what and why it was done.”

  But Karia already knew. She knew with every fiber of her being, who had done this thing to her. What she couldn’t figure out was why. Not only that, but how did he even know about Gaurans? All the shots he had given her when he was preparing for her to leave, one of those shots changed her DNA somehow. Why would he do that?

  She was at the mercy of this man and his people. She needed to stay and cooperate and find out what was done to her. She could hurt someone or even kill them. She would have to start giving Torin some answers.

  “Thank you.” she said to him. “I am sorry for attacking you. You saved my life and I repaid you poorly.”

  “You were not yourself, plus I had a hand in why you were so angry. Intense anger seems to be a trigger, there could be others. We will have to do tests, with your cooperation of course.”

  “And if I refuse?”

  “You will have to be returned to Lathaeon, the planet given to Gaurans. Or you will be executed. You have to understand you pose a threat to my people.”

  “I do understand. I will cooperate.” She let out a deep breath. “Do you guys have anything here for an intense headache?”

  Torin paused before he answered her. “When I found you, you came in and out of consciousness, complaining of an intense headache.”

  “And?” Karia rubbed her temples. He gently moved her hands and rubbed them for her. Karia murmured her pleasure.

  “This might be a symptom, for whatever is wrong with you,” Torin commented.

  “Well, that’s one way to torture a prisoner and get information from them,” Bri’aque quipped, coming into the room.

  “Karia, this is Bri’aque. He is my first in command, and first pain in the ass.” Bri’aque bowed nobly as if he were just paid an ultimate compliment, his handsome face grinned at her. “Bri’aque would you be so kind as to have Bela get Karia some head potion?”

  “As you wish, my First.” He grinned rather sardonically before exiting the room.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11