by Chloe Joel
He returned the embrace and rested his cheek on the top of her head.
“All this time, I was so confused by everything. By you. You were such a beastly man when we first met, but now… well, you’ve turned into quite the gentleman, I must say.”
“A gentle man? This sounds terrible.”
Abbie laughed. “No, not a gentle man. A gentleman. It’s a respectable thing. Shows you’re proper, well-mannered.” She pulled back and gave him a serious look, “But certainly not to be trifled with.”
“Certainly not,” he agreed, then smiled. The smile faded, however, when he realized the path ahead of them.
“You must understand, there is much taking place right now. I believe times are about to become very dangerous for us. With me, you are safe. Rest assured. My brother and I took this palace together so that as partners we could protect the status of one another. I must leave on a very important mission soon to discover and bring to justice some traitors that would perform a coup upon my master.”
“Your master? You have a master?”
He looked at her, surprised she would ask such a question. “Everyone has a master, in some form or another. Do they not? The loop can only go around until it meets its beginning again.”
She smiled at him. “And you said you didn’t have any philosophy here.”
He shrugged. “Be that as it may, many things are to take place. On my return, we shall plan the wedding together, so that I can announce to all of my people that I have chosen you to be mine, and that you have chosen me as well. We will live together here, in my palace, happily.”
“That sounds wonderful,” she said as she squeezed him to her again.
“And you’ll wait for me? Patiently this time, and not attempt to escape? The way your attempts escalate, I’m afraid the next time you try to get away you’ll either kill yourself or blow up my palace.”
Abbie laughed and buried her face in his chest. “No, no more escaping. I promise.”
“You truly are a force to be reckoned with, I must say. I could not have chosen a better mate.”
He lifted her chin and kissed her. Knowing that she would stay with him and be his mate, all the worry and anxiety he’d been suffering suddenly settled. Everything was as it should be and he could pursuit the traitors with a steady mind.
CHAPTER SIX
Abbie woke and Gorren had already left for his mission. It was a groggy few minutes before she remembered him coming in to kiss her goodbye before he left. He was so sweet once you got through all of the hard outer shell that he liked to portray.
She went about her day, no one guarding her, no one watching her. Already he was showing her such trust. The guards were gone from her door and there were none posted throughout the palace like there had been.
She was free to roam wherever she wanted. It was nice to be trusted like that, but on the other side of that, all of the guards helped keep her oriented.
She knew which hallways she was allowed down, and this helped keep the palace feeling small. She knew the way to the kitchens, and the garden, and even to the dining hall, and then back to her room. Now that the whole palace was open, it felt overwhelming. First she went down to eat something. After a hearty meal, during which she reminisced about her time here and the first time she laid eyes on her handsome man, she went for a walk in the gardens.
It was beautiful, as always, but her attention was slowly pulled more and more indoors. She wanted to explore all of the places she wasn’t allowed to go. A palace this large – what could all of the rooms possibly be used for? It was going to be her home too, after all.
It was best she became familiar with her surroundings!
That was enough for her. Abbie ran inside and immediately went down a corridor she knew had previously been closed off to her. It was like being a child and running unattended through a toy store. There were so many things to see, but nothing she knew she could take home with her. Hah! She was home!
Some of the doors were simply too large to open on her own. Despite there being no mechanical pieces to help open it, Gorren always made it look so easy when he showed her around. Was he really that strong? Well, then again she remembered how easily he picked her up and just tossed her about, especially during their lovemaking sessions.
She blushed as she remembered him atop her the last time they were together. For such a strong man, he was a surprisingly attentive lover.
Of the doors that Abbie was able to open on her own, she found a trophy room, which smelled exactly as she would imagine a bunch of stuffed heads to smell. Another room was entirely empty, though the floor was made of soft mats.
Three of the walls were mirrors. There were spare bedrooms, entertainment rooms, and everything else she could have possibly imagined. She found a second kitchen on the second floor, which she had no idea was even a thing.
She got lost, as she suspected she might have. The place was huge! Still, it was a house. She could only get so lost before either someone found her or she found her way back, even if it was accidently! This was a large house, not a labyrinth after all. Still, she must’ve wandered, totally lost, for about an hour or more.
That’s when she heard the cries. They were faint, like distant whispers meant only for her ears. Intrigued, Abbie followed the sounds. As she drew closer, the cries were clearly those of a woman. The closer she came, she started to also hear the woman crying.
She wasn’t saying anything. It was as though she was beyond that. Now she just wailed in heartache and despair. Behind a set of doors that Abbie barely managed to move, she found a large room.
The furniture was everywhere, half of it in pieces. The bed was a mess, as though it belonged to a toddler the size of a giant. This was nothing like her room and the neatness that Gorren demanded of his household.
Where was she?
In that disaster area, she heard the woman wailing against the far room. Abbie made her way over and saw the woman bound to the opposite wall by metal chains. They were the same chains that Abbie herself had been in when she’d been bought by Gorren from the auction. Who was this woman?
“Hello?” Abbie said as she approached the poor woman.
The wailing cut off and went dead silent. There were a few tense seconds before the woman squeaked out, “H-hello?”
“Hello, I’m Abbie.” She came closer and waved.
The woman had a swollen eye and half her face was red or bruised. “Oh,” the woman gasped. “Oh, are you real?”
“Yes,” Abbie said gently, her heart breaking for this poor woman. “What are you doing here?”
“Please,” the woman said quickly, “you have to get me out of here. Please help me.”
“Wait, who are…”
“Help me!”
“Yes, of course,” Abbie said and rushed to the woman. She pulled at the chains, though the motion was immediately dismissed. It wasn’t like she could actually pull them from the wall. She wasn’t superhuman. “What happened? Who are you?”
She searched the manacles for any looseness or if there was space enough for the woman to slip her hands through. The flesh was rubbed raw at her wrists, the metal of the cuffs having dug into her. This wasn’t fresh damage, either. This had been done over a long period of time.
“M-my name is Mary. I’m from a place called Earth.”
“Me too!” Abbie shouted and looked at her. “My name is Abbie.”
The woman’s face twisted into a look of both grief and relief. “You too? I was convinced I was the only one.”
“These cuffs are too tight. I can’t work them free. It looks like they need a key. I’ll go see if I can find it, okay?”
“No!” the woman shrieked. “Don’t go! You can’t leave me here! He’ll be back.”
She started sobbing then, uncontrollably. For as weak as she obviously was, the strength of her crying was powerful and moving. “He always comes back.”
Abbie, now anxious, her heart being a piercing drum in her, cam
e back to the woman and knelt in front of her. “Who does?”
“Byreen. He bought me at-at this auction. It was a year. I think? I don’t know. The sun here, it moves so slowly. The days…”
“They bleed together, I know.”
The woman sobbed harshly and hiccupped in her anguish. “All this time I’ve never seen another face but his. He did this to me. He just uses me, calls me his property. You can’t believe the things he’s done to me. Will continue to do. When I’m dead, he’ll just buy another one.”
“No,” Abbie breathed and shook her head. “That’s awful. That’s just awful. I’m so sorry.”
“I had a family, a home. I miss my home.” A wildness overcame her then, and she fixed Abbie with a fierce gaze.
“Please, you have to get me out of here. You have to help me get free! He’ll be back. He always comes back! I can’t die here!”
“I don’t have the key, I can’t get you out of here. But Gorren. I can talk to Gorren, and he’ll…”
“No! You can’t tell him! You can’t trust them. Not any of them. They’re all the same. This is law here. This is allowed.”
“No, Gorren’s different. He’s never been anything but nice to me.”
“He’s just tricking you. Give it time,” the woman said, her face setting into a look of hateful rage. “You’ll see. He’s just like the others. He’ll do the same to you.”
“No,” Abbie said and stood. She did her best to keep her face and voice steady, but already doubt was eating into her. “No, you’re wrong. He’s different.”
“He’ll do the same to you,” Mary said. As Abbie turned and walked from the room, determined to talk to Gorren and free the woman, Mary continued to shout at her, louder and louder. “He’ll do the same to you. He’ll do the same to you!”
The echoes of her cries followed Abbie as she walked down the hallway and away from this area.
She marked the way by making small landmarks. A painting, the rug, if she needed to she would make sure she could find her way back to that room quickly. The next two days were tense.
Hour by hour, Abbie’s mind raced. She couldn’t believe that what the woman said about Gorren was true. He was different. He loved her, he said so. He said they’d be married. That wasn’t what someone did with property. As much as doubt wanted to set in, Abbie dismissed it as best she could.
She visited the girl often with food and water. If they were to escape, Mary would need her strength. They talked, and Mary told her more of her home and her family. She cried when she admitted that she couldn’t remember their faces anymore.
All she knew was the pain of this place. Every visit only made Abbie more adamant about getting Mary free of this place and back to her home on Earth.
The day came when Gorren returned home. He looked tired, haggard, but victorious. He was all smiles when he saw her. After kissing her and swinging her through the air as though she were made of nothing at all, he went on and on about the battles and his victories over the traitorous men.
He told of the bravery of his brother. At first, he admitted to her, he’d had his doubts about where his brother’s loyalties lied, but it was clear after watching him fight those that would attempt to overthrow their master that his brother was as true to his word as he’d always been.
Abbie did her best to listen and be supportive, but the more Gorren praised his brother, the more it ate away at her. Finally she couldn’t take it anymore. “Did you know Byreen has a woman chained in a room?”
“What?” Gorren asked. The anger that overcame his face was reassuring, and Abbie breathed a small sigh of relief at seeing it.
“Yes! He tortures her. She’s from Earth, like me, and I…”
“You went to Byreen’s side of the palace? I thought I made it clear you’re not to go over there.”
“What?” The shift in topic completely threw her off. “There were no guards, so I thought…”
“Guards? I have to post guards for you to listen to me? Why can you just not respect the rules as I’ve set them?”
“Rules? I’m not your child. I’m not your thing.”
Gorren’s face fell into a grimace of anger. “You are to stay away from that woman, you hear me? She is not your concern. She is not my concern. She is my brother’s property. He bought her, as I bought you. It’s his right to do with her as he wishes.”
“How can you say that?” Abbie pushed herself out of his arms and backed away from him.
“How can you say that to my face? You expect me to believe that you love me after that?”
“Abbie, I…”
“You need to go now.” Abbie’s heart hardened as she saw his face fall.
All of the anger he’d been expressing just moments ago fled in an instant, replaced by complete regret. He looked like he wanted to say something, but knew the futility of it.
Be it by his alpha habits and way of thinking, or by some other cultural difference between the two of them, he knew that he’d just done something to offend her, but wasn’t entirely certain of what. She could see it on his face.
This time, though, she wasn’t willing to help him out. If he didn’t understand why this would hurt her, there was no helping him. Reluctantly, he turned, and walked from her room. Abbie collapsed into her bed and cried.
She’d never cried over a man before. In every relationship she’d been in, she’d always maintained a bit of distance. She knew they never really wanted her for who she was, so she kept herself prepared for them to leave. Everyone always leaves, eventually. This time, though, she had given herself to this man entirely. She knew that he wanted her, all of her.
He had said he wanted to marry her, to tell the galaxy of their love. Then he goes and says that? Everything she thought she could believe in with him shattered. She had given all of herself to him, and now that that was gone, all that was left was raw, exposed nerve.
Could it be true? Was he really just like all of the others? She never wanted to believe it could be so, but after what she’d just heard, maybe he was? Her heart broken into a million pieces, she cried on her bed, unable to console herself.
Finally, when she’d had enough and ran out of tears, the fog lifted from her mind. Perhaps her hope of having a happy, joyful life was ruined, but that didn’t mean it had to be the end for Mary.
She had gone to Gorren. That was his one chance to prove himself trustworthy. He may have failed, true, but that didn’t mean he was her only option. She would rescue Mary and get her back home to Earth. For now Gorren still believed her his woman. She would use what she was sure to be temporary freedom to break out Mary.
She waited patiently until she was summoned to dinner. It wouldn’t do to be missing when it was time to eat, or else it would raise suspicions.
Abbie went down to dinner, dressed as properly as she would be and ate with Gorren. He did his best to make conversation, but she paid him little mind. She was there to eat. Who knew when she would get another decent meal?
It would raise suspicions for her to be missing, sure, but he should well expect her to not want to speak to him when she was upset with him. That much she’d already proven in the past. As she suspected, his attempts at conversation faded into silent frustration.
When she finished and was as full as she could make herself – like storing it up for winter – she asked him, “May I be excused?”
He waved a hand at her. “Go.”
She wiped her mouth with her napkin and stood from the table. Looking down at the metal of the table, she said quietly, “If you respect me at all as a person, as someone you claim to care about, you won’t come to my room tonight. I need some time away from you after what you said to me.”
From the corner of her eye she saw him look at her, his face a mix of anger and frustration, but also hurt. Good. Let him be hurt. Let him be as wounded and agonized as she was.
“Very well,” he said.
She nodded her head in acknowledgement and left. Her heart
raced in her chest, though she tried to keep her pace slow and steady. Nothing amiss. As long as he didn’t come to her room, he wouldn’t ever know anything was wrong until morning. Or until the engines of the aircraft flew past his window.
When she knew she was out of eyesight she darted down a hall and ran. First she went to the flight desk. She knew there must’ve been stores of weapons somewhere else in the palace, but she hadn’t found them in her wanderings.
Hell, they may have been behind one of those huge doors she was incapable of opening on her own. The flight deck, though, she knew she’d seen some racks of weapons against the walls.
When she reached the massive metal doors she pressed her hands against them. She took a breath to brace herself. If these were locked, her plan failed here. She needed to be able to get into the flight deck, not just for the weapons, but also to get away.
Saying a small prayer to anything divine that might be looking down on her from this unholy planet, she bunched up her muscles and pushed.
The metal doors didn’t budge at first, but gritting her teeth she put her shoulder against it and planted her feet. Her entire body strained under the pressure, but then she heard one of the hinges creek. There was a metal groaning sound, and the one side door moved an inch. Elated, she summoned all of her strength and pressed harder.
Somehow she was able to push harder than ever before, and the door moved another inch, then another. She had it going on steady motion now, and in a couple of minutes she had it wide enough for her to slip through.
The flight desk was empty, the lights out. Light from the stars and the triple moons shone down casting deep, eerie shadows across the flight deck.
Thankful to be unobserved, she ran to where she saw a rack and grabbed up a rifle. Then after slinging the strap over her shoulder, she grabbed another rifle and a pistol. Nodding her satisfaction, she raced back across the flight deck to the doors and paused.
Would anyone notice they were open? Was she capable of closing them? Pulling was an entirely different set of muscles. Besides, if they were discovered and had to run, she didn’t want to have to spend the time to force them open again. That would get them caught for sure.