He paced in front of them. “We searched every nearby planet, halted all traffic in and out of the Petrogeous galaxy. No one had seen you.” Coming to an abrupt halt, he spun on his heels and stared at her. “I’m so glad Mekai found you. I only wish it had been sooner.”
Mekai joined her in front of the king and stared into her eyes. “I dreamed about you all the time, for as long as I can remember. We grew up together while I slept, fell in love. I didn’t realize you existed in reality until I ran into you here. If I’d known you were here, I would have come sooner. Long ago.”
But why didn’t she remember him? No, the stories didn’t jive. She remembered her parents leaving her behind on Schedar. They were Terrans, not anyone from Ubetron. Maybe Mekai’s family did know her real parents and planned to hold her for ransom. And she’d fallen into their trap so easily.
With a huge grin, the queen stood in the doorway, gripping an object in her hands. “I have something I want you to see. Nadia, it’s a picture of your parents.”
Although part of her yearned to look, her feet never moved. She waited for the queen to come to her, and even then, she was afraid to gaze at the picture, relive the moment they walked away from her, their child.
“I’ve kept this picture with me for years.” The queen held out a color imagescreen.
Nixie stared at the three people in the picture: a man, woman, and a baby. Blinking, she took in the couple again. “That’s not my mom. Or my my dad.”
Hands rubbed her back, not Mekai’s, but the queen’s. “Yes, they are. They’re wonderful people who love you with all of their hearts.”
Gazing up at the woman, she felt tears burning her eyes. “But... they’re not the Terrans who brought me here, the ones who left me behind. Oh gods, was I really kidnapped?” Her knees wobbly, she took a seat and tried to process the information.
The queen sat beside her and set the imagescreen on Nixie’s lap. “You were. Your parents would never have abandoned you.”
Nixie lifted the screen and stared at the couple again. “Will you tell me about them?”
“I will. And we’ll even contact them for you. It’s about time we put our differences to rest.” She squeezed her arm. “But later. We have a double betrothal ceremony to attend back on Carbae, followed by the biggest celebration ever. For Nadia, our future queen, is not dead, but very much alive.”
Tears streamed down her face, even as she smiled. Mekai pulled her into his arms and snuggled his face into her neck. “I don’t care if you’re Nixie, or Nadia,” he whispered. “I love you, and I’m going to marry you as soon as possible.”
Grasping his shoulders, she jumped and wrapped her legs around his waist. An unbelievable joy radiated from deep inside. For the first time in her life, she knew who her parents were, that they hadn’t abandoned her, and had a man who would do anything for her. No one would ever take that away.
***
As the freighter launched out the other side of the fold, towing his PSTV behind, Mekai held his sleeping wife-to-be in his arms. Leaving Schedar, she’d wept as he held her, until exhaustion took over. And now they were almost home, with a life together to look forward to.
He held her closer, but flashing red lights throughout the cabin interrupted his contentment. What’s going on?
A crackle echoed through the communications system.
“We know you’ve got her!” The booming voice filled every corner of the room. “I want my daughter back right now.”
Nixie stirred against Mekai, then sat up. “Daddy?”
“No, wait!” Mekai held her hand tight, glancing around for the source of the voice. “I found her living on Schedar. Come on board and we’ll discuss what happened to Nixie.” He’d just found the woman who’d haunted his dreams for many years. There was no way he was going to let her go.
“My daughter’s name is Nadia.” A Terran man appeared on the view screen. “And after you held her captive for so long, forced her to work as a sex slave, there is no chance of a discussion.”
Jumping from his lap, Nixie rushed to the screen. “Daddy, it wasn’t like that at all. I wasn’t anybody’s slave, and I just met Mekai.”
“Nonsense,” the king bellowed. “You are experiencing Stockholm syndrome. Nothing more.”
Mekai’s mother bustled in front of her. “You listen here, Nicolas Liberté. We used to be friends, and you know there is no way we would ever do such a thing to your daughter.”
Nixie’s father didn’t blink, only stared harder. “I used to believe so, Larabet. That is, until I found out you were on Schedar with my daughter in your custody.”
“Dad!” Nixie pressed her hand to the screen. “Will you please listen? They rescued me. They had nothing to do with my disappearance.”
“I wish I could believe you.” The Terran man nodded to someone else on his own ship.
Nixie began to fade in front of him as though becoming invisible. Her father was beaming her off the ship. Mekai lunged for her, but fell through the empty space, landing on his chin. He waited for the pain. Instead, a cold rush filled him and his vision wavered. One second he saw his parents kneeling in front of him, and the next, a white room. Completely empty.
The cold quickly disappeared, replaced by the thunderbolt across his jaw. The metallic taste of blood covered his tongue. He must have bit it when he fell. With a groan, he rolled over and wiped his eyes. Where had he been transported to? A second glance around proved he was alone, stuck in some room with no furnishings. White walls and a clear front.
Terran men and women dressed in the same multi-green uniform walked past, none of them giving him a sideways glance. Could they see him? He stood, but nearly fell back to the ground, his head spinning as if he’d rolled down the snow-covered hills of Carbae.
He stumbled toward the closest wall, trying to steady himself until the sensation passed. By the time his vision cleared, another person had entered the room. No one he recognized, but the Terran scowled at him. If the man believed the same lie as Nixie’s parents, Mekai dreaded what he had to say.
“Where is Nixie? I demand to see her.” What had they done to her if they were keeping him locked up here?
“It does not matter. You will never see her again.” He said the words so matter-of-factly Mekai’s stomach twisted.
“We’re to be married. I love her, and she loves me.” Just when he thought he finally had everything he’d always wanted, she was stolen from him.
“Did you or did you not pay to have sex with Nadia?”
“Yes, I mean, no. It wasn’t like that.”
The man gave him a hard stare. “Then how was it?”
“I paid to receive an erotic massage from a Suavita. I didn’t know it was Nixie, I mean Nadia, until she arrived.” Though he couldn’t imagine what his stay would have been like if anyone else had arrived in his room. He likely would have spent the rest of his time on Schedar searching for her.
“So, you paid to have sex with any slave. It didn’t matter which one.”
“A massage, and they’re not slaves.” He would never force himself on anyone. He enjoyed giving pleasure as much as receiving it, but he wasn’t about to share that information with his captor.
“Are they not drugged? Are they not told who they are to have sex with regardless of whether they want to or not?”
“No, it’s not like that there. Nixie told me that some of her friends left the planet. They have a choice as to whether they want to enter into the erotic arts or not.”
“Really?” The man furrowed his brows. “So, you’re saying Nadia wanted to have sex with all those people. That’s funny considering she told us about the slavers your parents dropped her off at, how the man raped her before forcing her to be with others, and how his supposed wife was killed by other slavers after they raped her.”
Mekai cringed at the false accusation toward Garesh. He’d been instrumental in convincing Nixie to leave Schedar, would never have hurt her. “You lie.”
“Temper, temper, boy. I’ll have to let the king know you not only raped his daughter, but you also beat her. I’m sure your punishment will be swift and just.”
“No,” Mekai screamed as the figure vanished. He ran to the clear wall and pounded on it with his fists. He had to get out of the room. Then he had to find Nixie and get off the blasted ship before they punished him for lies they insisted as the truth. But, the more he banged against the wall, the more hope he lost. No one heard him. Not one person walking past turned to look at him. He was locked in a soundproof box with no one to hear the truth, convince Nixie’s father what really happened to his daughter on Schedar.
Chapter Twelve
Nixie screamed, trying to shove the burly men out of her way to get a glance of Mekai. Her mother had let information slip about her fiancé being transported onto the ship after her, but no matter how hard she tried to sneak past her guards, she hadn’t been able to find him. Having no recollection of the layout of the ship didn’t help either. How she wished Mekai’s parents hadn’t contacted her own, simply took her back to Carbae where she could marry Mekai and live on Ubetron’s moon with the man she loved. She didn’t know the people who claimed to be her parents. And all they’d done was take her away from the man she loved.
One of the guards grabbed her shoulders, and out of instinct, she kneed him in the groin—a move Garesh had told her to use if she ever felt threatened. He was the man she thought of as a father, the one who’d taught her to survive. The guard released her as he doubled over, but the second one caught her and held her to his side, no chance for her to try the same move.
“I don’t know why you fight us,” her supposed father said as they walked down the ramp of the ship. “That Ubetron is no good for you. You’ve been brainwashed to believe you love him.”
Quite the opposite. She never believed love possible until she’d met Mekai. But, arguing had already proved futile. Her parents refused to believe Mekai’s family had nothing to do with her kidnapping. “Just take me to my room.”
She studied every corridor they passed through, every single part of the castle they traveled, waiting for the moment she was left alone. The sooner the better, because she needed to find Mekai and escape from the planet called Earth.
Her parents led her through a set of double doors, the guards never leaving her alone with them.
“This is your room.” Her mother grasped her hand and pulled her into the monstrous space, a room larger than Cyresse’s entire domus back on Schedar. “You have a bathroom in here, a walk-in closet, and you can contact anyone in the castle from this console over here.” The woman led her over to a desk with a com unit built in, buttons with various unfamiliar names lighting up the screen. “One of your guards will let you know when dinner is served.”
“So, I’m a prisoner here?” They might as well have put her with Mekai. At least she would have someone familiar around.
“No, not at all.” Her father stepped into the room and closed the double doors behind him. “You have everything you need here, and until you become familiar with the castle, it’s best you stay here for your own safety.”
“And when do I get to see Mekai?”
The man spun to stare at her, his eyes hard, as if ready to shoot fire. “You don’t.”
Nixie darted around her parents toward the door. She slammed into the wood blocking her way, expecting it to burst open, but it didn’t budge. She was locked in for who-knew-how-long, stuck in a strange room with strange people on a strange planet. Not at all where she wanted or needed to be.
“Have a look around.” Her father held a hand out and spun in a circle, as if showing her the room all over. “You will find it to be everything you’ve ever dreamed of.”
“You keep telling yourself that.” Nixie shoved past the man and flopped onto her bed. The mattress had more give than she was used to. She held back a scream, afraid the bed would swallow her up.
“I get it. You want us to leave you alone.” Her mother patted her leg. “Take time to get used to your new room. I’ll be sure to have someone escort you down for dinner.”
She wanted to say, “Don’t bother.” But, that might have led to more conversation when all she wanted was to be by herself for a change. She needed time to plan hers and Mekai’s escape.
At the click of the door, she released a sigh. They’d finally left her alone. Now, she needed to find a way out.
***
Putting his hands out did nothing to stop Mekai's fall. He jarred his right shoulder and rolled to his side on the cold, dirt-packed floor. Metal doors clanged shut, and the men who'd thrown him inside walked away without a word, as if they'd tossed away nothing more than trash. Though with the soured stench, he wouldn't be surprised if garbage rotted somewhere nearby.
In the dim light, he couldn't see beyond the metal bars of his new prison. Using his left arm, he pushed onto his feet to get a better view of his new accommodations. The minute amount of light came from a small window carved out of the back concrete wall. If he managed to yank the bars out, he wouldn't be able to fit through the space. Tools might help him chisel out a larger hole, but the grime-covered plastic bucket and the stained mattress pad with cotton pouring out of a variety of holes wouldn't help. How he wished to be back in the sterile room on the ship rather than this rundown prison. Had they left him there to die? Or would he meet up with his interrogator again?
Mekai sat in a corner, his back against the hard wall rather than the bars. The dampness didn’t bother him, only reminded him of home, the place he was supposed to be with Nixie as his wife. Straightening his legs and leaning his head back, he closed his eyes. Picturing his fiancé, whether smiling at him as they sat on the grassy hill, or face flushed after he’d brought her to orgasm came easy. But, would he ever get the chance to see her again?
Chapter Thirteen
Nixie stared at the now-cold food on her side table. Regardless of how much her stomach rumbled, she would not eat it. After she’d refused the guard’s request to join her parents for dinner, he mother had brought up some of the most beautiful food she had ever seen served on a plate. But she would starve before she put any of it in her mouth. Or not until they agreed to let her see Mekai.
No matter how many times she’d insisted his family had nothing to do with her kidnapping, that the people who left her on Schedar were Terran, they turned a deaf ear to her, confident in their own beliefs of what happened to her all those years ago.
The sun had already disappeared below the horizon, covering the castle in darkness. But in her room, a few lamps had flickered to life on their own, as if sensing the absence of light. Not ideal for sleeping, yet the glow didn’t stop her from leaning back on her bed and imagining Mekai there with her. She yearned for his arms around her, his whispered words of love. Would she ever see him again?
A faint knock drew her from her thoughts. She sat up, but did not cross the room to answer the door. She’d had enough of her parents and the guards they’d posted outside her bedroom for one day.
The knock came a second time, and once again, she remained on her bed. At the click of the door handle turning, her heart sped up. Nixie clenched her jaw as the door creaked open. Why couldn’t they leave her alone?
“Nadia? Are you awake?”
That name again. She’d grown up as Nixie, and upon finding her, everyone on Earth expected her to answer to a new name. Yet, she hadn’t recognized the male voice who’d called her. Did she have new guards for the night? Did they expect sex because she’d grown up on Schedar?
She shuffled under the blankets and pulled them tight to h
er neck, keeping her eyes on the door.
“Nadia?” A figure stepped into her room. “Na-Nixie? Please answer me. I really need to talk to you.”
She opened her mouth then closed it again. As much as she wanted to find out who had entered her room, she worried he was sent by her parents to spy.
“Fine then.” He shuffled back toward the door. “I was going to show you where our parents are keeping the man you came with, but if you don’t want my help....”
Our parents? She had a brother? And he knew where they were keeping her fiancé? “Wait.” She threw off the blankets and leaped from the bed. “I’m awake. Please help me find Mekai.”
The man rushed toward her and held out his arms as if to embrace her. But Nixie backed away. Just because he offered to help didn’t mean he would, or that she could trust him.
“Who are you?” She eyed him with caution, tried to ignore the familiar upturned nose and almond-shaped eyes she saw in the mirror every day. “How can you help me?”
“I am your brother, Alexander.” He stared at her, his eyes shifting focus as if he didn’t believe what he saw. “I thought I would never see you again. I thought they had killed you, and expected them to murder me in my sleep. But, you’re here.” He touched her cheek then quickly pulled his hand away. “I’m sorry. But, you’re being here is like a dream come true.”
“Well, it’s been a nightmare for me.” Guilt flooded her. She shouldn’t be rude to someone who might be able to help her. “Sorry, but who were you talking about before when you said you thought they’d killed me?”
“Oh, Luca and Rosa Scordato.” A flash of fury washed over his face. “They are the ones who kidnapped you from Ubetron. When they returned to Earth without you, I thought they’d killed you and left your body floating in space.”
Beyond Reach: SciFi Romance Page 6