Resisting the impulse to turn and look at the man who stood silently behind her, Marti took a deep, calming breath. She felt him studying her, perhaps even judging her. The heat from his body radiated off him in waves, warming her inside and out when nothing else these past five years could have. Even living on an arid desert planet like Katkari hadn’t warmed her soul as easily as he did by merely standing behind her. What’s happening? What does all of this mean?
Oh, I don’t know. Perhaps it could mean that he is your soul mate, a strange, female voice said.
She knew it wasn’t Artu’s woman who said that. She’d been looking at her and the woman’s lips never moved. Perhaps she wasn’t immune to the madness their father spoke about after all. She heard voices from nowhere. That could only mean she had finally lost her mind.
Marti’s stomach clenched and her legs went weak. Artu moved to catch her, but he was too slow. The man at her back had already scooped her up, holding her tight against his chest. She fought the urge to relax into him as that delicious warmth of his seeped into her, melting her resolve to keep all men at arm’s length.
“Put me down, sir. I don’t know you and I am most certainly not a baby for you to carry about.”
“You may not be a baby, woman,” his voice was low, almost a growl, “but you are nearly as weak as an infant.” The look on the man’s face clearly expressed reluctance to release her.
“Artu,” she said, turning her head to meet her brother’s gaze. “Please tell him to put me down.”
“Let him help you,” Artu said as he gently brushed her hair from her face.
Marti crossed her arms and scowled at her brother. “You would side with a complete stranger over me. Why did I think you would do any differently?” Of course he would side with a stranger. It is a direct reflection of his feelings for you, or lack of feelings to be more precise.
No. Marti almost shook her head. He cared. She knew that now. He might not have shown it in the past, but he had shown her this day. He’d proven that he loved her today. Just the sight of her had brought him to tears.
She would never doubt his feelings again. Her biggest question now, was why he’d hidden his emotions from her for so long.
Chapter Six
Kyl looked at Atru, wondering if the defender would force him to release the woman. He had no say in the matter and he knew it. She was Artu’s sister, after all. However, Kyl was lucky. The defender refused to tell him to put Marteeka down, and as defender of Torus, Kyl must see to the safety of everyone on the planet, including visitors. He would use that excuse to hold her as long as he could.
For some reason, holding her felt right. If someone should ask him why, he couldn’t tell them the answer. He looked down at her and willed his warmth into her. She looked so frail and weak, every protective instinct within him wanted to care for her.
He looked to another of the servants awaiting his order. “Bring food. Lots of it. I’m sure our visitors would appreciate a warm meal.” He looked at the others whom he suspected had eaten before they arrived. They said nothing, all of them casting concerned glances to the woman in his arms.
Moving to the long table in the center of the room, Kyl set the woman down and placed a glass of water in front of her. “Drink this. It’s obvious you’re dehydrated.”
Reaching out with an unsteady hand, Marteeka grasped the glass and brought it to her lips. “Thank you,” she said just before she took a sip.
Kyl fisted his hands when she closed her eyes as though the water was the best thing she’d ever tasted. “Who did this to you?”
“It was the Katkians.” She took another sip. “They have been marketing their world as an all-inclusive resort.”
“That can’t be. I’ve known many people who have vacationed there and returned.”
“They don’t kidnap all of the women who go to their world. They only capture those who travel alone. Sometimes, they even follow them to their world and take them after they check in through their customs system.” She rolled her eyes and gave him a look that told him she thought him dense. “After all, so many women going missing on their world would raise eyebrows, wouldn’t it?”
“Of course it would,” Lena said as she left her husband’s lap and urged Artu to take the seat on Marteeka’s other side. Taking the empty glass from Marteeka’s shaking hand, she refilled it and handed it back. “Take small sips now. You don’t want to make yourself ill.” She smiled. “Besides, if you drink too much, you won’t have any room for that food Kylar ordered for you.”
The door opened. Several servants entered the room carrying an assortment of dishes on large trays. Setting the trays down, they moved to stand against the wall, awaiting further orders.
“What’s the matter, Marti?” Artu asked as he covered his sister’s hand with his.
Eyes wide, Marti licked her lips as though tasting the food already. “There’s so much food here.”
Artu grasped the edge of a tray and dragged it close. “Look, it’s your favorite.” He frowned at her wide-eyed stare.
“I don’t have a favorite food.”
“What are you talking about? Of course you do.” He pushed the dish closer. “I happen to know that you love steak and roast vegetables.”
She shook her head. “Not anymore. Any food will do if it rids me of the pain in my stomach.”
Artu growled. “No, Marteeka, any food will not do. You are the daughter of a defender and sister to one. You will never eat just anything again.” He grabbed a plate, filled it and set it in front of her. “Eat, before I decide to feed you like a babe.”
Marti reached out with a trembling hand and grasped the fork. “I am hungry.”
“Anyone with eyes can see that you’re hungry, woman. Now eat.” Kyl practically growled the words.
Picking up the knife, she tried to cut the steak, but her strength failed her. Quickly, before even her brother could help, Kyl picked up the knife and cut the meat into small, bite-sized bits.
“There you go.”
“Thank you,” she said before she forked a bite of the steak into her mouth. Closing her eyes, she sighed. “That is good.” She took a moment to chew and swallow the bite. “I don’t remember anything ever tasting that good before.” A tear fell from the corner of her eye and she cast her gaze into her lap. “I’m sorry,” she said as she set her fork down. “I should have waited until the rest of you ate first.”
“No, you shouldn’t have.” Kyl picked up her fork, stabbed a small bite and held it to her mouth. “Eat. If we want something, we’ll get it.”
“But I should—”
“You should eat. I have no idea what gave you the idea that you need to wait for others to serve themselves first, but we aren’t the backward planet where you’ve been held captive these last five years,” Artu said as he grabbed another dish and set it in front of her. “I’ve had breakfast. Can you say the same?”
“No.” Marti shook her head. “I cannot.” She fisted her hands on the table and pressed her lips together as Kyl held another bite to her lips. “I can feed myself, sir.”
“Then see that you do so.” He set the fork down. “You’re too thin. I worry about your health.”
“Why should you worry?” She gave him a scathing look. “Men don’t worry about women unless they want something from them.”
“You know that’s not true,” Artu said with a frown. “Perhaps on Katkari the men don’t care, but you know the men on our world care about you. Many have asked about you over the years. All of them expressing concern over you whereabouts.”
“Yet no one cared enough to go searching for me.” She narrowed her eyes as she stared down at her plate.
“Of course we did.” Artu grasped her chin and turned her head. “I have left our world on numerous occasions searching for you.”
“We have searched many systems, though no one suggested that you had gone to Katkari.” Lena glanced at her husband. “From what I understand, you always said
that you never wanted to visit a world that specialized in vacations. There was something about it feeling fake.”
“And I was right. They lure lone women to their world, send handsome males to court them and find out if they will be missed.” She shrugged. “I thought I would be missed. Apparently, they did not and they were right.”
“Will you stop that!” Artu stood, shoving his chair back so quickly it shot across the room before hitting the wall and falling onto its side. “I left Priska for nearly a year after you disappeared. Bontin looked after it as well as his own world and the responsibility drove him mad. He now resides in an underground prison he cannot escape. His madness is my doing because I couldn’t let you go. I couldn’t stop searching for you even though you had disappeared without a trace.”
Kyl watched Marti as her brother bared his soul. He didn’t know what it was like to have a sister. He never had a sibling. As an only child, the best thing he could hope to have was a woman who could love him—if only for a little while.
Chapter Seven
Marti looked up and met her brother’s gaze. What was it that made her want to make him feel responsible for her kidnapping? Why did she keep insisting that her incarceration was his fault? Deep down inside, she knew it wasn’t. She knew that he wasn’t to blame for the action of others. Yet, for some reason, she couldn’t keep herself from lashing out at him—at all of them. Was it because they were male and she had just spent the last five years of her life in subjugation to men? Or did she merely want all males to pay for what happened to her?
Maybe it was a good thing that she didn’t have her strength, or her other abilities. If she did, she might not be able to control herself and she knew that her powers rivaled that of her brother. As much as she wanted to hurt each and every one of the males in this room, she knew, deep inside, that if she harmed her brother, she would never be able to live with herself.
Her fork appeared in front of her face. She turned to the defender she knew as Kyl and scowled. “I have said that I am not a baby. I can feed myself.”
“Then see that you do so.” He scowled back at her as he set her fork on her plate.
“I am not yours to command.” She fisted her hands. She wanted nothing more than to slap the smug look off his face. Gritting her teeth, she gripped her anger as tightly as she held her fits closed. “Do not think to boss me around. I am a free woman.”
You are now. Thanks to us.
Marti closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She didn’t hear voices. Really, she didn’t. No longer a slave, she could choose to have friends who resided outside of her head, now.
We are not figments of your imagination. You know who we are, said a voice in her head. The voice was of a young woman who sounded on the verge of laughter.
Yes. I’m afraid I do. What I want to know is what you want from me. Marti was afraid she knew.
We want you to do nothing but be happy. The prince cannot touch you now. You have at least two defenders that would die for you. They flank you now.
Marti could see why her brother would put his life on the line for her, but why would Kyl do so? There was no reason for him to put her life above his own. She wasn’t one of his people.
He would do so because he is your match. Look at him and tell yourself that he means nothing to you. Tell yourself you aren’t attracted to him in the most basic of ways. If you can do that, we will send you home with your brother and you can live out your life with him until the universe ends.
Marti had the feeling that it wouldn’t take long for the universe to come to an end if she didn’t listen to the damned voices in her head. And why didn’t she feel like a madwoman for thinking that the voices in her head were anything more than figments of her imagination?
With a sigh, Marti picked up her fork and took a bite of the delicious steak. It would take some getting used to, but she would relearn how to live her life as a free woman…starting now. She glanced around the table as she chewed. To hell with the others if they didn’t want to eat, she was damned hungry.
Her stomach growled as though telling her to hurry up and take another bite. Swallowing, she shoveled another bite into her mouth. Before she knew it, her plate was empty, her stomach full and the others in the room each picked up a dessert.
Marti felt her face turn red as she realized they must have all watched her eat and she hadn’t noticed.
“What do we do about this situation?” One of the other defenders crossed his arms and sat back in his chair. “I am Bry’aan Dufeur, defender of Awisha. We have reports of fifteen missing women. How many others are there who have no one to report their disappearance?”
Another defender raised his hand. “Daffyd Soduur, defender of Mikkant. My world knows of twenty missing. Again, how many are there who have no one to grieve for them?”
Marti looked at the only other defender she knew. “What of your world, Ga’brial? How many women have gone missing?”
Ga’brial leaned back in his chair, his expression grim. “Too many. Our count is higher than most others at forty-five.”
Marti knew from experience that there were hundreds of imprisoned women on Katkari. Women the men of that world had stolen from their homes, their families and their lives. How many could go home and live as though nothing had happened? The way she saw it, none of them could. Marti didn’t know if she could ever feel normal again.
She shivered at the thought that she could have been married to someone on Katkari years ago. She could have had children who would have tied her to that world. How could she ever leave a child to live there without her love and guidance?
That was the real trap and the men of that world knew it. If they could impregnate a woman, she would stay willingly for the rest of her life. What woman could ever bear to leave her children behind on such a backward world?
She rubbed her arms with a shiver. Just the thought gave her goose bumps. Kyl, on her left, removed his light jacket and wrapped it around her.
Marti fought the urge to pull it tight against her and take a deep breath. She inhaled the spicy scent as his residual warmth seeped into her. What was it about his smell alone that made her stomach clench and heat settle in her womb?
He was handsome, yes, but he was also arrogant. She could see that by the way he treated his servants. He didn’t treat them badly, he just treated them with the air of a man with a sense of entitlement.
Glancing at her brother, she realized that Artu had that same bearing and wondered if she, too, had felt so superior because of her standing as a defender’s daughter and the new defender’s sister. She hoped not. Now that she had lived on the other side of the master and servant coin, she could see how much of a pain in the ass she had been.
That would never happen again. Now that she was under her brother’s protection again, she would remember to thank those who served her. She would also remember that they were people, too. They were people with lives outside of their work, with families who needed to see them more often and they were people who deserved to work to live, not live to work as so many of the upper classes seemed to think.
What were the upper class anyway? They had money and a sense of entitlement that made her ill. They were people, just like her, like the servants they disparaged. Money didn’t make a person better. A good person was a good person because of who they were, not because of their affluence. No amount of gold could make a jerk anything but a rich jerk. It hadn’t taken Marti long to figure that one out.
Another glance at Kylar caught him staring at her. Marti’s cheeks burned with mortification. Had he watched her shoveling her food into her mouth like some sort of burly construction worker?
Turning, her head, she looked toward her brother with the hope that he didn’t see her face turning red. The last thing she wanted was for the man to think that she cared what he thought about her. She didn’t give a damn what the Fates said, Kylar was too arrogant. He was not the person for her.
Chapter Eight
> Kyl watched Marti’s face redden as she turned away from him. Reaching out, he cupped her cheek and she froze.
“You’re red. I think you might have a fever. It is not uncommon for someone who is dehydrated, such as yourself.” He frowned down into her face as he searched her gaze. He refilled her glass. “Perhaps you should have more to drink.”
“I’m fine. I just need some space.” She moved her chair closer to her brother.
“As you wish,” Kyl said, suppressing a grin. He glanced at Artu. “You were saying that you have spoken to the Fates?”
“Yes.” Artu gave him an inquiring look. “Is it as I suspected and you have done so as well?”
“Yes.” Kyl gave Marti the lopsided smile he knew drove most women wild. “They keep insisting that your sister is the woman who can end my suffering.”
“I can end no one’s suffering.” Marti stood up quickly and immediately toppled over into Kyl’s lap.
Quickly, he wrapped his arms around her so she wouldn’t fall on the floor. “They say that you can end mine.” He stared at her for a moment before leaning over to meet Artu’s gaze. “How old are you and your sister? I assume that you had the same father and he began to age when you reached the age of twenty-five and came into your powers, as did I.” He pressed his lips together for a moment and glanced at Marti with a wave of his free hand. “It doesn’t matter. I know your approximate age and I know your sister is not much younger—if she is younger.” He smiled at Marti who had gone still in his lap when his cock grew hard beneath her bottom. “So, Marti, how long have you known that you were also a defender?”
“I’m not.” Marti began to tremble in his lap. Tears filled her eyes before they overflowed and ran down her cheeks. “At least not anymore.” She shook her head. They did something to me on Katkari. I no longer have any powers.”
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