by Corin Cain
“We’re going to be here for a couple of days,” the henchman turns to face me. “We probably need to get acquainted. I’m Jung. I’ve been working for Daran for twenty years.”
“I’m Petra,” I reply, knowing that he already knows my name. The grizzled man sits down at the chair in front of the table, but he doesn’t relax. His eyes dart left and right in the empty room.
He’s a man of few words – not unlike Kreos in that respect – and he sits in silence. I want to forget about the damaged Aurelian warriors, but curiosity gets the better of me. “What… What happened down there?”
Down there.
Taton.
Jung rubs his stubble and looks me in the eye. “Don Slip’Nak hit us, and he hit us hard. He’s the Toad head of the biggest outfit on Taton. For decades, we’ve held an uneasy peace, broken only by short spats that hurt business. I don’t know how Slip’Nak got the balls to do it, but he finally hit us.”
I wonder if Jung knows he sounds like a broken record. I see a hint of sadness in his eye, and I realize that he must have lost friends in the fight on Taton. I get the impression he wishes he was there himself, right now, fighting by their side.
Perhaps this grizzled man is more than just a fighter.
“What will they do as… retaliation?”
Jung’s eyes tense up in a glare for a moment, and I realize he’s mad as hell.
“I should have been there. I should be there now, not on babysitting duty.”
He bares his teeth, and I flinch.
“I don’t know what makes you so important, but Daran cares about you deeply enough to pull me from the flight. I should have been on an attack ship burning down on Taton hours ago.”
As I stand there, Jung’s watch bings and his eyes dart down to it. He presses a button, and the wall of the small room turns into a video screen.
Daran is standing there, with the bulbous head of a Bullfrog dangling from his hand. Riff and Kreos stand behind him, covered in blood.
My stomach churns. This is who they are. Kreos isn’t a gentle giant who calms me with his bear hugs. Riff isn’t a trickster who can make me laugh as much as he makes me want to slap him. There’s nothing vulnerable about Daran. Their auras are all the same.
Triplet golden orbs of exultation in the throes of bloody victory.
“Turn that off!”
Jung ignores me as Daran brandishes the head to the camera. “This is the head of Don Slip’Nak. His territories are now mine. All who bow down will be taken into the fold. All who resist will suffer the same fate.”
Daran throws the head towards the camera, and it slops against the screen. I run to the bathroom and throw up into the small toilet.
I wash my face with cold water, composing myself, and I come back out into the main room.
Jung stands up and cocks his head. “We’re going back. I was told to take you away from the threat. Daran has dealt with that threat.”
I shake my head hard enough to make my head hurt. “No. I’m not going back to them.”
Jung shrugs. “I don’t know what the hell you are to them, but it’s pretty fucking clear what my job is.”
“You just want to be back on your planet, killing strays.”
Jung snarls and steps towards me. I back up, hitting the wall. He grunts, reaching out. “Either you come with me willingly, or…”
He can’t finish his sentence. The engines of the huge transport ship rumble. Jung grabs me, and I fight, kicking and screaming – but there’s nothing I can do against the powerful man.
We enter the hallway and two huge Frogs in battle armor suddenly stand in our way.
“No leaving. Ship taking off.”
“You’re damn right we’re leaving. Stop this fucking ship!” Jung yells at the Toads, and I take the opportunity to pull away.
He grabs me so hard that I know he’s going to leave bruises on my arm. The Frogs pull out buzzing vibro-sticks – the weapons the guards carried at that slave-auction, a lifetime ago.
I know those weapons can stun an elephant, and Jung is forced to back down, snarling like a dog. He yanks me back into the private room and throws me down in front of him. We’re both panting.
I glare at him. “You’re a fucking asshole.”
His eyes narrow. “You watch that lip, woman. I don’t care how special you are. The moment we get down to Kinata 5A in two days’ time, you’re going back to Taton – whether you like it or not.”
Two days.
Relatively speaking, that’s an incredible distance. This transport ship has a minor Orb-Engine, powered by a chunk of Orb-Sphere, and fast enough to travel at high speeds and even do small jump shifts from one point in the universe to the next.
We’ll travel like a rock, skipping across a pond. I’ve heard all about Orb-travel, and I know it won’t be easy; but it will get me to Kinata 5A safe and sound…
…unless we’re one of the rare and isolated horror stories, of Orb-powered shits that phase out of existence…
…and never phase back in.
I lower my eyes. I want Jung to think he’s won. We sit in silence for hours until I get up and go to bed, crawling under the sheets. He opens a communication channel with Daran on the screen. I look over, pretending to be asleep.
Daran looks like a king. He’s sitting at the head of a huge wooden table with Kreos and Riff at his left and right. A goblet stands in front of him, and a bottle of blood-red wine is half-drank beside it.
“Where is she?”
“In bed.”
“Bring her out,” Daran commands.
I put my hands up, the pretense of pretending to be asleep forgotten.
“No! I don’t want to talk to him.”
Jung pauses. “Woman, either you come in front of the screen, or I’ll drag you in front.”
I jump at the resounding slam as Daran slaps his open palm against the table. “No! You will not lay a hand on my mate.”
Jung’s eyes furrow. “You’re… You’re his mate?” he says, chewing the words as he finally understands why I was so special to these three Aurelians.
I pull myself out of bed, reluctantly sitting in front of the screen.
Daran smiles slowly. “Petra. Thank you.”
“For what?”
“You gave us the strength to do what we needed to do. You are the reason my father can rest easy in his grave. We own Taton now.”
Bitterness creeps over me. “And those women you pledged to protect?”
Daran’s eyes go dark, and his aura twists and churns with anger and hatred.
“I… I cannot change the past. I can only change the future. I will make this planet safe for you, my sweet – and together we will rule.”
“Daran. I…”
“We won. You saved my life, and I owe you everything. We will make this planet safe, and you will be our Queen.”
It’s Kreos. He stares at me with those burning eyes, communicating wordlessly, and I feel his devotion. His thought is weak because I muted the Bond, but he thinks it with such ferocity that the message still makes it through.
Could I let myself be with them? I’ve never felt anything towards anyone like them – but is it something real? Or is it just the raw, sexual attraction I feel?
I lick my lips nervously. I want them. I want them so badly.
But how could I let them have me? How could I open myself up to these three mob bosses? Gangsters who own the criminal elements of an entire city?
I can feel them in my mind, and I know that it will never stop. I know that we are linked forever, and that because of them I’ve gained oh-so-much...
Time now stretches out in front of me. Thousands of years of experience await me. Thousands of years to choose my path, and decide who I want to be...
But do I want to be their Queen?
On screen, Riff’s golden coin dances and moves across his fingers in a blur.
“Petra. Don’t mute the Bond. Please, let me feel you. It’s all I crave.�
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All these choices swirl dizzyingly in my mind. It’s all so fucking tempting. I could go back to them. I could experience the love that only Bonded Aurelians can give a woman. It’s a devotion so deep that no other man will ever feel anything so pure for me.
“I… I need to talk to you three. Alone,” I say – and in the back of my mind, a plan is forming.
Daran waves his hand at Jung. “Give us a moment.”
Jung nods his head. “Of course.”
He steps out of the private room and I’m finally alone with the three, brutal Aurelians. They’re still in their battle-armor. On the table is a blood-soaked battle axe that I have trouble even looking at.
“Daran… Kreos… Riff… You chose this. Tell me truthfully: You didn’t think you were coming back alive, did you?”
Daran breathes in deeply. “You’re… You’re right. We lost so many men. We lost so many women. This was about more than just us.”
I shake my head slowly. “What does vengeance give you? What have you gained?”
Daran clenches his fist. “I gained my birthright. I fought for it, and it is mine.”
I want to give him a chance, but I don’t know what for.
To apologize for letting his mind enter mine before he went to what he thought was going to be his death?
To apologize for giving me a reason to believe in him? To lie to myself that his feelings for me were greater than his pride?
“Riff?”
Riff shifts uncomfortably in his seat. “I… I had to do this, Petra. I couldn’t let Daran go alone to his death.”
“So, you chose to be a martyr? To let me feel your presence in my mind, then have it snuffed out? Did you ever care for me, or is it just that we’re fated to be together by some galactic fluke?”
“Please. Let me feel your aura.”
I let a huge breath out and stop muting the Bond. I want them to feel what they’ve put me through. It’s not fair to make me fall for them. It’s been an Orb-Shift of emotions.
Riff leans back, comfortable, breathing in deeply. “Thank you. Oh Gods, thank you. You have no idea what I see in you, Petra. Even feeling your ire is perfection.”
He leans forward on the screen.
“Petra – it’s over. We won. There’s no one else left to hurt us. There’s no one left to hurt you. By the time you land, we’ll have rounded up all the remaining members of Don Slip’Nak’s cartel. You can be here. You can be with us.”
I nod slowly. “Kreos? And you?”
The hulking beasts run his fingers up the shaft of his battle-axe. He stares at me, and his eyes burn red. His devotion flows through the Bond like molten honey.
“Petra,” he says, his voice hoarse and cracking. “I don’t deserve you, Petra. If I did, I would have let even my battle-brothers die to be with you. I would have betrayed my closest friends. If I cannot keep our harem safe, then I cannot be with you. If you want to be with us, I will worship you forever. If you leave, I will follow you and stay in the shadows. You’ll never see me. I’ll be a watchful presence. I will keep you safe.”
My heart aches for him. He’s the truest of the three. Daran and Riff look at him with shock, realizing that the only reason he joined the battle is because he though himself unworthy of his fated mate.
I prepare myself for the lie. “I’ll… I’ll come to you then. You don’t have to force me to come back. I’ll take the next shuttle to Taton.”
Daran nods. His aura is confused, but grateful. “Good. You are ours, Petra, but we are also yours.”
I smile sadly and end the call. I don’t know if they’re going to message Jung that he can come back in, but I know I have only moments to act. I memorized the communications ID of Mr. Gemin, the eccentric trillionaire who fell in love with my art, for a situation exactly like this. I punch in the numbers and pray the call goes through.
The video picks up instantly. The old wispy-haired trillionaire smiles when he sees me. He’s sitting on a long sofa that looks like it has velvet cushions covering a square mound of pure gold, in a room that drips opulence. Gems fill the screen and he lounges back, smiling.
Servants surround him, ready to provide for his every need. Two marble statues of Mr. Gemin are behind him. They’re almost perfect, but they lack a flair of life. I know it’s egotistical, but when I spend nine months sculpting, something is born.
I can see now why he wanted to recruit me. I can bring him to life in sculpture the way the artist who made the two statues behind him failed.
“Petra! Your parents told me all about what happened. Did you manage to get free of those Aurelian oafs?”
“Mr. Gemin. I need your help. I’m on a shuttle to Kinata, but they’re going to try and make me go right back to them on Taton.”
Gemin’s thick eyebrows draw inwards. “They think they can keep your art from me? Who are we dealing with?”
My heart is pounding. At any moment, Jung could come back into the room.
“Mobsters, Mr. Gemin. They own half of Taton. I only have a few minutes to talk to you before their henchman comes back.”
Mr. Gemin snorts. “Back-world gangsters? Ha! Say no more. Your subterfuge will work. Once you land in the station, I’ll have a squad – nay, an army there to pick you up. I found your work… It speaks to me, Petra. I find at this point in my life I have all too much money and not enough time. You are the key to immortality – through your art. I will not let anything get in the way of that.”
“I have to go,” I say quickly as the door hisses open. I drop the call and turn to glare at Jung.
“Fine. You win. You won’t have to drag me back to Taton. I’ll go willingly.”
Jung smiles. “Good.”
26
Petra
Two months later.
I chip away at the marble. The figure of Mr. Gemin is slowly taking shape. When I’ve finished four hours of straight work, I cut the video feed and walk towards my private workshop.
Mr. Gemin stationed me on a ship with a mobile art studio that has all the amenities money can buy. In the mornings, I talk walks in the verdant forests he’s grown surrounding the near-continent he owns. There are all the ecosystems, including a small desert, a lake, a simulated mountain, and – my favorite – an old-growth forest modeled after those of Old-Earth.
At night I sit and the clear glass of the roof shows the unpolluted night sky.
The ship must have cost billions. All of it was made in preparation for my arrival. Mr. Gemin has more money than he can spend. He’s addicted to seeing himself permanently captured in marble.
I walk to my private workshop, an old-style cabin near the woods. There, Tiana has left out hot coffee. She knows my routine. Mr. Gemin located her when I asked – having landed in that escape pod on a safe planet. He employed her to take care of me while I work, but I know I won’t see her for another hour.
My day’s work for Mr. Gemin is over. Right now is reserved for my passion. The workshop is filled with tiny clay sculptures I do in my free time – figurines of Daran, Riff, and Kreos.
I look at them and the pang of the Bond thrums in my mind. I’ve become an expert at muting the Bond and my own aura, but I can still always feel the three Aurelians.
They ache for me.
That is all I feel.
I know that Daran is consolidating his rule, but there’s no more pride left in him. He has gained everything he’s ever wanted – and yet he feels empty.
There’s a chasm in each of the three men. It’s a chasm that I know only I can fill, but I can’t bear to go back to them.
What would happen if an upstart mobster took on Daran’s cartel? What if a feared gangster from off-world comes down with an entire army?
They would fight to keep what they have. They’d always fight.
I take a piece of marble the size of my hand and start working at it. It’s imported from Italy on Old-Earth for an extravagant sum. I start working at a figure of Kreos, until the door opens.
“Oh! You’re still working.”
I put down my tools and turn. My coffee went cold beside me, unnoticed. “I guess I lost track of time. Let’s go for our walk, Tiana?”
She smiles at me and we set off together into the forest. Tiana talks while I listen, speaking about nothing and everything. My thoughts are clouded, focused always on the three Aurelians.
Is there any way I can be with them? Is there any way I can trust them?
It feels like I know them almost as well as myself. When I sleep, I sometimes slip into their dreams, experiencing the violence and lust that they dream. I can feel their frustrations, their wants, their needs… They think of me constantly.
At first, they tried to send telepathic messages to me, until I learn to shut down the Bond completely.
My own dreams are filled with passionate need. I ache for them as badly as they do me. My body craves them, and it isn’t just the Bond.
I want Riff’s tongue lapping at my body. I ache for Kreos to grab me roughly and take me like an animal. I know that Daran can find his calm through our passionate mating.
“You’re thinking about them, aren’t you?”
I sigh. “How did you know?”
Tiana laughs. “Because I asked you if you think Timothy is into me, and you didn’t say anything.”
Timothy. Timothy. Who was that again? Oh yeah! One of the gardeners.
“Ummm. I’m not sure.”
Tiana takes my hand and looks me in the eyes. “It’s okay. I know you’re going through a lot right now.”
There’s a stone bench between two trees that I sit down on gratefully. I think through the last two months. The sick fear I felt when the slavers took me... The anger at the arrogance of the three Aurelians... The moment when I thought we could be together, when I saw the men at their most vulnerable...
Then they threw it all away for pride, violence, and power.
I know them, now. They are men who are born to lead. Born to command men and own a city. They are generals, warriors, and bosses who can’t ever be tamed.
I was foolish to ever try.
“I’m just thinking through all the moments we spent together. It’s so strange – they’re a trillion miles away, but they’re still in my head. I can’t get them out. Sometimes I hate this Bond.”