by Liza Probz
She let out a shaky breath as the princess left her alone for a moment. Darkness rolled through her vision and pulled her toward its cold reprieve at an alarming rate.
“Stay awake,” she muttered as her eyes grew dim. “Stay awake.”
The brightness of the light that flashed behind her closed eyelids caused her to cry out in fear. She sat up to find nothing but darkness around her.
“Are you here, goddess?” The male’s voice was worn down with exhaustion.
“I think so, but I’m not a goddess,” Mayra whispered and crawled toward him in the darkness, the glow from the charm around her neck the only light in the horrible chamber. She brushed her fingers over the poor man’s back and moved to pull him closer.
“When will you come? I’m so scared that nothing exists in this place anymore. That this hell has become my only existence. Tell me that I’m delusional. That it’s not as I believe it to be.”
“I’m coming as soon as I can. I’m trying. I promise.” She pressed her lips to the top of his hand and rubbed his back, trying not to focus on the wet stickiness of his blood that coated her fingers. He’d been beaten recently by something incredibly sharp.
“Don’t leave me here. Please.” He whispered against her neck and tightened his grip as the light began to pull her back.
“I’m trying, Caleb. I promise.”
“Tell me your name. Give me something to hold on to until you arrive. Please?” His pleading was too much for her to handle.
“Mayra. I’ll come. Hold tight.” She jerked up in the middle of the garden as one of the guards reached down and yanked her back to her feet.
“Stand up, bitch. I’m not sure how you pulled this off, but don’t think this is over.” He growled and nipped at the side of her face.
She nodded and let her head drop forward as another guard grabbed her under her other arm and moved her toward the end of the forest.
“We give the trader the girl, get the linens, and then have the port authorities deny him passage to leave. They will lock down his ship, and we can kill him, take all he has on him, and get the girl back.”
“Who said that this was the plan?” the other guard asked as Mayra let her body sag even further. They could drag her through the town square, and it was better if they did. That way, they weren’t aware that she was listening.
“The king, you idiot. Do you really think he would be willing to trade one of his prized possessions to a Territhian? Please. He hates them more than any of the others.”
“Because they’re fucking ugly?”
They both laughed. “That, and they are far too wealthy and knowledgeable for their own good. He wants to rid the universe of them, you know?”
“Whatever. They are too great in numbers, and I still stand by the theory that the humans are just a lesser version of the Vartiks. They look too much alike to not be related.”
“Have you ever seen a Vartik?” The guard to her left snorted.
“Hell no. They died off far before my time, but I’ve seen pictures in books.”
“We’re here. Shut the fuck up and don’t speak until we’re done.”
The guard on Mayra’s right jerked her arm hard. “Stand up, bitch. We’re here. Try and look as good as you can.”
The sound of the aircraft opening had Mayra’s head lifting as much as she could. She wasn’t capable of seeing who was in front of her, but the sweet smell of his skin washed over her, and she knew without a doubt that it was the handsome stranger from earlier.
“Is she unblemished?” the male asked.
“Yes. Take her. We have things to do. Get the king’s linens and we will leave you be.” They pushed her toward him, and she stumbled and started to fall, not sure if he would catch her or if she would plummet off the side of the port. The latter didn’t sound nearly as bad as it might to someone not in her situation.
Strong arms wrapped around her and picked her up to coddle her against a thick chest. His voice ensconced her, and she found tears burning her eyes again.
“Let me lay the girl down and I’ll get your linens.” He pressed his lips to the top of her head and moved them out of the heat into the dark coolness of what she imagined to be his spaceship. “I’m going to lay you on my bed. Don’t worry. I would never hurt anyone, especially not you.”
“You don’t even know me,” she murmured as she reached up and clung to him.
“I believe I know who you are, and you have nothing to fear. Rest, and I’ll get us out of here.”
“They’re going to deny you the right to leave and kill us both.” She let a sob bubble up from the center of her chest as he laid her on the bed.
“You have nothing to worry about, angel. Sleep. I’m a warrior from another world. I’ll protect us.”
“Promise me?” She rolled onto her side and pulled her legs up into the fetal position.
“On the blood of the great line of kings from whom I am descended, you shall be protected and soon be made whole, oracle.”
She wondered if he was the type of royalty to abuse his privileges, but the darkness took her before she could consider the matter further. The man was most likely going to play the fool, and for his ignorance and arrogance, they would both die.
At least she would do so in her sleep. She let herself go and exhaled softly as sleep pulled her under.
Chapter 10
Anger raced through his veins as he left the girl on his bed and turned to deliver his part of the bargain to the Vanfian guards. The bastards had made sure to rough her up properly. The fact that she wasn’t capable of keeping her eyes open or wits about her had Nojan ready to skin someone alive.
“Here,” he growled, handing the fine cloth off to one of the guards. With narrowed eyes, he spoke. “If she’s damaged at all, expect to see me and an army at your fucking door.”
“Promises, promises. The girl is unblemished. She deserved far more for taking the life of one of our fellow guards. Not to mention stealing from the princess, who trusted her.” The guard shrugged and turned, walking back down the stairs that descended from the aircraft.
The other stood there, staring as if lost in a trance.
“Leave and do what you can to stop the others from returning.” Nojan gripped the side of the craft as he used his hypnosis on the guard.
“Yes, sir. Of course.” The cat-like creature turned and walked down the stairs, leaving Nojan looking after him. They were such odd beings, and yet, just as he was capable of finding beauty in everything, he certainly could see the delight the gods must have felt in creating the great Vanfia tribe.
He sealed the door as a notification beeped on the console of the cruiser. Nojan’s need to get back to the pretty girl in his bed was almost overwhelming and yet he knew getting them into the atmosphere and headed toward home was the only way to keep them both safe.
Dropping into his captain’s chair, he stifled a yawn and pressed the button nearest him, which blinked red.
“This is headquarters on Vanfia launch pad twelve-twenty. We’re going to have to ask that you extend your stay overnight. Something is wrong with our current weather system. We’re not able to verify if the meteor shower that occurred an hour ago is over yet. For your safety, we’d ask that you turn off your engine and remain docked.”
“I appreciate that, but I’m in a hurry to get home for personal reasons.”
Nojan leaned back in his seat and breathed in through his nose as the room spun. Weariness was soon to take him. He had very little time before he needed the ship to be on course and headed home. Only then could he allow himself to rest.
“I’m sorry to hear that, sir, but this really isn’t a request.”
“Oh, so it’s a command?” Nojan’s lip lifted in a cocky smirk. The Vanfians were known for their own cockiness, which knew no bounds. No other man would be required to bow before a foreign king or expected to respect his commands as long as no law was broken.
“Somewhat. Yes, sir.”
&n
bsp; “And whose command exactly would this be?” Nojan was almost glad he couldn’t see the look on the asshole’s face that was trying to fumble through his lie without letting the truth of his deception slip into his voice.
“Why, the King of Vanfia, sir.”
“Right. I don’t serve the King of Vanfia, and I’m pretty sure I’ve broken no laws, so good day.” Nojan pressed the button to end the call and quickly worked the necessary sequence on his console to force the cruiser to lift off. It was time to move into the darkness beyond the purple nighttime sun of Vanfia.
Sirens were blaring in the background as he threw the craft into hyperspace, leaving him with the firm knowledge that departure was their only choice. The girl had been right. Rantel was going to lock down the ship, most likely board, and kill them both, but why? Why was the girl so precious to the king, or was this another hope of reclaiming some of his pride after Jazmine’s theft?
Nojan ran his shaking hands over his face and got up from his chair on unsteady legs. Crawling into the coolness of his bed beside the pretty woman in it would have been heaven, but he knew without a doubt that she needed aid. Her bruises would have to heal over time unless he did something about them himself.
His blood would cure her completely within a matter of minutes. But there was a risk associated with exposing himself to her, should anything happen to them before they made it back to the Vartik homeworld.
“She’s going to find out eventually,” he grumbled to himself and walked to the galley to get the first aid kit. The small white box that sat above the stove wasn’t going to do much, but he had to try. She might not appreciate him smearing black blood across her wounds, or even allowing a little of it to drip down her throat. Most people would find their ways vile, but he would use all of them if necessary to restore her.
After walking into the bedroom, he stopped by the table nearest the bathroom to set up the kit. He pulled his shirt over his shoulders and let it drop on the floor next to him. The temperature on Vanfia had been stifling, and wearing a shirt soaked in sweat in the coolness of his cruiser was less than comfortable. Besides, the angel was asleep.
After making sure he had what he needed, he walked into the bathroom and wet a washcloth with warm water. He squeezed it and glanced up to check his own appearance in the mirror.
“Fuck. Don’t let me scare the girl with my size.” He brushed his hair back and scoffed at himself as he left to take his spot on the bed beside her.
She was still curled up on her side, and he sat down on the edge of the bed and carefully rolled her onto her back before reaching up to brush long crimson strands from her face. His heart swelled in his chest as his cock twitched a few times in his pants.
The soft curve of her cheek was only outdone by her long black eyelashes. Her full pink lips were swollen, with blood crusted on the side of her mouth, and her right eye was swollen shut and turning a sickening shade of blue, but she was somehow still impossibly gorgeous.
“Poor thing.” Nojan reached out and brushed the cloth by her mouth softly.
She cried out and opened her good eye before trying to scramble back away from him. Her long white dress was stained with dark blue Vanfian blood, and the top was torn, showing her left breast almost to her nipple.
He hated himself for it, but his body hardened instantly, leaving him dizzy as he tried to push away the attraction and deal with the weariness instead.
“I won’t hurt you.” He reached out and touched the side of her face. “Come here and let me heal your wounds.”
“How?” she whispered, but the stress of the day’s events was too much for her. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she lost consciousness.
Nojan sighed, pulling her into his arms. “With everything I have,” he whispered, propping himself up on his elbow as he wiped the soft cloth across her face and down her neck to the top of her breasts. He cleaned the dirt off of her and tossed the towel behind him. He couldn’t help himself but reach out and caress the side of her face with the back of his fingers.
“So fucking gorgeous. Who are you, girl? You’re supposed to be hideous, and yet I find nothing about you that doesn’t leave every part of me aching. Incredible.”
A buzzing in the front of the ship had him grumbling and sitting up. He reached over and carefully undid her necklace, wanting to analyze it before opening his flesh and healing her. It would be the last thing he would have the strength to do before passing out.
It was important to find out if she was the one he’d been sent to find. He needed to know before he set their final destination for Vartik. With him passed out and her healing, the chances of her waking up before him were great. He had to make sure she was trustworthy. Everything he’d seen and heard in the last hour would say the opposite, but oftentimes, circumstance forced people to act in opposition to truth.
“Be right back.” He touched her cheek again as he fought against the desire to lean in and kiss her softly a million times. She wouldn’t appreciate it, and truth be told, they were complete strangers.
He forced himself off the bed and walked toward the console. After dropping down in his seat, he overrode the system’s request for a final destination and pressed the trinket from the girl’s throat to an analyzation tool on the ship’s dashboard.
“Tell me all we know about this item.”
“That’s classified information, Dr. Nojan Vartik. Please provide override sequence.”
“Dammit.” He growled and hit the code to call home. His father appeared on the small 3D apparatus before him as he leaned back.
“Son. Do you have her?”
“I don’t know. I have a woman that I believe is her, but it’s been a bit of a day today, Father. I need to analyze her necklace to see if I have the right girl. If not, I’ve been through a whole hell of a lot of trouble for nothing.”
“Let me see the trinket, son. It’s easier that way.”
Nojan lifted the necklace and let it dangle before his father, whose eyes lit up as he laughed deep in his chest.
“The Eye of Tomorrow. How beautiful. Nojan, you hold a piece of Territhian history in your hands. If that belongs to her, then it is her. She’s the one.”
“Why does she have it?” Nojan pulled the necklace toward his face and captured the trinket in his palm as it warmed.
“Because she’s the great oracle of the gods. She just needs to be released from her humanity.”
“Right. How?” He sat the necklace down and brushed his fingers by his lips.
“I would assume sex. Is she a virgin?”
Nojan swallowed hard. “I believe so, but we’ve not had a conversation just yet. Rantel beat her beyond recognition. She’s passed out in the bedroom, and I’m trying to decide how to heal her.”
“How? You know how. Shed your blood for her. She will help us find Caleb, son. She’s the key.”
“All right, Father. I will, but I’m beyond exhausted. Maybe I was the wrong one to—”
“No. Stop that. You were the man for the journey. Heal the girl and rest. She will take care of you, Nojan. She is a sweet spirit from the world of the humans. Give her grace and protect her like you would a child. Her road is said to be forged in humility and degradation. No more of that for her. Make sure you tell her that we welcome her with open arms and full hearts, Nojan.”
“Is this because of what she can do for us?”
“No, son. Because of who she is. You will see, and when you do, protect your heart. She will steal it.”
Nojan chuckled and stood up. “Doubtful, Father, but thank you for the warning.”
He dropped the call and walked back to the room to find her on her stomach, breathing deeply. The long line of her back was exposed with rope-like welts on her skin. Nojan dropped down beside her and ran his fingers along the worn-down scars before stopping at the top of her rear. The beautiful swell of her bottom was far more than he was ready to deny himself, and yet to touch her inappropriately would make him no differen
t than the rest of them.
He let out a soft sigh, turned her over, and ran his thumbnail over his wrist, opening his vein a little. He dipped his finger into his black blood and worked it into the side of her eye before carefully brushing his finger over the swelling.
Immediately, she began to heal.
Her breathing changed as he continued to brush the dark healing liquid over her face and down her arms to her fingers, repairing her tore fingernails and healing the gashes in her beautiful skin.
“What are you doing?” she whispered as her eyes fluttered open.
“Healing you, beautiful. Just rest and let me take care of you.”
“Please don’t.” Her eyes filled with tears as her voice broke.
“Don’t heal you?” He paused as his heart contracted painfully in his chest.
“No. Please don’t call me beautiful.”
“Why not?”
“Because of all the things I am, beautiful is not one of them.” She reached up and touched the side of his face as tears dripped down into her hair.
“You’re wrong, but I’ll leave it be for now. Tell me your name.”
She dropped her hand and nodded as she wiped at her tears. “Mayra. I am the last oracle of the Territhian kings.”
“So I’ve been told.” He smiled and dipped his finger in his dark blood once more. He ran his fingers between the beautiful curve of her breasts where they met and mended a dark bruise that marred her skin.
She gasped and reached up, grabbing his hand and pulling it toward her face. “What is this that you’re using to mend me?”
Her voice was soft and sensual, whether she meant it to be or not. His desire for more than he would allow himself swelled deep in his belly and pulsed through his veins in a pleasurable heat he couldn’t remember feeling before.
“It’s my blood. It will heal you.”
“Then you are no Territhian, stranger.”
“It’s Nojan, and I am the third son to the King of Vartik. Our blood heals all things.”
“Vartik was destroyed before I was born.” Her eyes moved around his face as if searching for the lie.