Inga’s eyes widened. “Borscht? It’s borscht?”
“Yes,” Elentinus said. “Sasha used to have it made special for her.”
She dug in with gusto. “My God.”
I couldn’t help but smile at the way she savored every bite. Once I figured out the red things were beets I didn’t even want to try it. The bowl was ice cold. I didn’t get why Russians liked cold soup. Don’t they need to warm up? I shoved it over to her.
“Here, have mine, too.”
She nodded without looking at me and kept eating.
“You don’t like it, Maritza?” Elentinus said.
I stuck out my tongue and made a face.
Nayjoor bellowed with laughter suddenly. “Your wife is so adorable, Elen.” His eyes glittered when he smiled. “There was never a Dak-Hiliah woman as carefree as this one.”
Elentinus squeezed my hand beside me.
“Are you happy now, dear?” Nayjoor said to Inga.
Inga nodded.
“That’s how they indicate yes,” Nayjoor said, “by bobbing their heads up and down.” He touched Inga’s cheek with his forefinger. “She can be adorable sometimes, too.”
Inga put down her spoon. “I’m not made to be adorable.”
Nayjoor stared at her.
“I was made to work. I grew potatoes and took care of my baby brothers. I carried water and firewood.” Her voice started cracking. “It was hard work every day, but I was happy.” Tears began to wet her cheeks. “I saw that beautiful village down there. I could be so happy in that place, husband.” She snuffled and wiped her tears on a napkin.
“But Inga, darling,” Nayjoor said, with some true emotion in his own voice. “What am I to do without you?”
Inga tipped her nose at me. “Get a stupid American wife like this one. They’re too silly not to be happy.”
Nayjoor stirred his soup. No one ate while he considered. I noticed that Rolf-Tem was flaring his clenched teeth. I pursed my lips. Please, Nayjoor.
“If I do you this favor, Elen, I expect something in return.”
Elentinus remained calm. “What would you like, my friend?”
“Yield your next vote to me.”
“You know I can’t do that.”
“Why the fuck not?” His face turned demonic so fast I got a shiver. “I’m letting you manipulate me.”
“I can’t stake the welfare of the empire for victory over a matter in my private life. It’s unethical.”
Nayjoor looked as though he’d just been slapped in the face. “So my votes hurt the empire?”
Eletinus stayed silent.
Nayjoor turned away from him. “Why did I let you convince me to stay?”
“You care for Inga, Nayjoor. I can tell.”
The larger man eyed him.
“Won’t you do this for her? You said things were bad before you came here. Think of how much worse it will be once you’ve deprived her of this. She’ll never stop longing, and she’ll never forgive you.”
Inga made eye contact with Nayjoor for the first time during their visit.
Nayjoor turned his head up toward the ceiling and breathed deep in and out. He looked like he could explode at any moment. “You’re forcing me to do what you want. This is always your way, Elentinus! You bully the entire high council!” He clenched his fists. “What a fool I was bringing my wife here.”
“Then you’ll let her go?” Elentinus said with his usual calm.
“Please, husband, please!” Inga said.
He looked at her while fuming through his nostrils. After an arduous minute of consideration, he finally gave the Dak-Hiliah nod.
Inga drooped over the table to sob with joy.
Nayjoor still spoke sharply. “Only if you find a suitable replacement. One even prettier than your wife—yet with none of her defiance.”
“I’ll see to it personally.”
Inga hugged Nayjoor’s arm. “Thank you. Thank you, husband.”
He refused to look at her.
“Master, I must protest!” Rolf-Tem shot up from his seat. “Inga and Lord Elentinus conspired together to force you into this. She knew what awaited her at the colony. Maritza told her.”
“Today was the first time I’ve been there.”
Rolf-Tem raised his voice to speak over me. “Inga and Lord Elentinus knew they could force you to release her with a feigned tantrum and phony stories about her picking vegetables in her home.”
Nayjoor eyed him a few times through his spiel but seemed unmoved.
“Do you know that right before this dinner Lord Elentinus had his wife write Pakpo a letter asking him to ban the shock collars?”
Now Nayjoor’s brow furrowed.
“Lord Elentinus was determined to force your hand. If he couldn’t do it here he was still going to make sure the rules were changed once we got home. He manipulates you, our druids—the whole empire! You can’t let this stand, master.”
Whore grabbed Rolf-Tem’s arm to force him to sit down again. “This is not Lord Elentinus’ way. He had no opportunity to conspire with Inga.”
Inga shook her head furiously. “No! We never even spoke!”
Nayjoor ripped his arm away from Inga and stood with enough force to send his chair clattering backwards to the floor. “Forget this! Forget the whole fucking thing!”
Inga launched herself at him. “Noooo!” She groped at the metal adornments on his chest.
Nayjoor threw her off him. She bounced onto her chair but then toppled back onto Whore. He righted her.
“Sit down, Lord Nayjoor,” Elentinus said.
Nayjoor stuck his forefinger into Elentinus face. “No! I won’t be dissuaded! You’re a power mad egotist, Elentinus! You have the whole empire tricked with your claims of compassion—but not me!”
“What reason have I to help Inga, if not for compassion?”
Nayjoor leaned close and slowly enunciated every word through his teeth. “To humiliate me!”
He stormed off. Inga clambered after him a few steps.
“How can you take this away from me, you monster! Because of your stupid fucking pride? What about me? You uncaring pig! I hate you! I hate you, Nayjoor!”
He froze after she screamed his name. “Shock her.”
“I can’t!” Rolf-Tem was indignant. “Lord Elentinus destroyed my control unit the minute we got here.”
I couldn’t see Nayjoor’s expression with his back to us. He rubbed his hand over his face and I think I heard him laugh.
“Of course he did,” Nayjoor said.
He turned around holding a control unit in his fist. His thumb crushed the activation button.
Inga’s pink glowing collar appeared around her neck. She gave a scream that reverberated into my chest. The girl jolted off her seat and fell to the floor. She twitched and writhed with her eyes so wide it looked like someone was forcing them open with their fingers. Her screams made my whole body shake. Even Elentinus had to look away. She’d lost her mind with the pain.
Finally, Nayjoor released the button. I breathed again but every breath came with a shudder. My face was wet with tears I didn’t even remember crying. Just the sight of this would give me nightmares. How was it for Inga, actually experiencing it? She was quivering and jolting on the floor with aftershocks. Her eyes remained painfully wide and unblinking.
I forgave her for everything. Her bad attitude, her demands, all of it was so trivial compared to what I’d just seen. I should have given her the control unit when I’d had the chance.
Nayjoor tossed the control unit to Rolf-Tem, who caught it with both hands while wearing a disgusting smile.
“We’re leaving,” Nayjoor said. “Call the transport and pack our belongings. I’m going to our room. Don’t you dare come and say another word to me, Elentinus.” He continued storming out.
Rolf-Tem stood with a smug look on his face. Beside him I saw Whore clenching his teeth.
“Everything you said was a lie,” Whore said.
&
nbsp; Rolf-Tem sneered down at him. “She doesn’t deserve paradise.”
He walked over to Inga and jabbed his foot into her backside. “Let’s go.”
Elentinus got up, walked over to him, and slapped the son of a bitch off his feet.
Rolf-Tem crashed shoulder-first onto the floor. He looked up at Elentinus with the terrified face of a coward.
“She’ll follow once she’s ready,” Elentinus said.
Rolf-Tem gave several outraged scoffs, but scrambled to his feet and ran out.
Whore walked over to Elentinus. “He’s the product of this generation. They think they only have to show respect for their masters. As if you’re somehow less noble than Lord Nayjoor. He should be executed for falsely accusing you.”
“It doesn’t matter, Hor.”
Whore lowered his head. His bottom lip quivered. When he spoke again I realized he was crying. “How could I befriend someone…someone who would speak against you?”
Elentinus wrapped an arm around his shoulder. His kindness made Whore’s face crumble. Tears ran down his face.
Inga struggled to push herself up with shaky arms. She used a chair to climb to her feet. Her dress was soaked with urine.
“I need to…I need to go to the bathroom.”
Elentinus turned to me. “Help her, Maritza. Take her to our room and get her changed.”
I stood up feeling just as dazed as Inga. This was it. I had to do it.
When I got around to Inga’s side of the table my legs felt like they gave out. I found myself seated in a chair next to her. Whore and Elentinus stared at me. I didn’t look back at them.
“What if she got rescued…by the same people who rescued Sasha?”
Did I really just say it? I felt like I was in a trance. Inga started to hyperventilate next to me.
“We can’t trick him now, darling,” Elentinus said. “It’s too obvious, but, in any case, we could have never tried your scheme.”
My reason came back. I looked at him. “Why not?”
“If it seems as though the Aquars have rescued her there will be an emergency session of the high council called. We’ll vote on going to war with them once again. This time I would have to vote yes, because Inga would have been stolen on my watch. We would decimate them quickly and by every means at our disposal. I despise the Aquars for their interference, but I also despise war for the sake of revenge. Millions would perish for the sins of a few reckless leaders.”
I kept staring at him. Elentinus’ lips parted as he stared back at me.
“Are you sure that’s what would happen, husband?”
He became stern. “I’m sure, Maritza.”
Whore shot me a bewildered look.
I stopped looking at him and went back into my trance. My trembling hand went up towards the neckline of my dress.
Inga saw what I was doing and gasped. “No!”
“They’re ready to get her out of here. There’s a pod attached to the—“
“No! Nooo!” Inga bent her body over the table and broke into furious sobs.
“—waste disposal unit. All she needed to do was deactivate her collar so you couldn’t track her. Any…any control unit could do it. I stole this one from your drawer.”
Whore covered his open mouth with his hand. Beside him Elentinus had gone a much paler shade of blue than his normal. He slowly walked back to the table, pulled out a chair, and sat with his body sideways to me.
“They…contacted you?” Now Elentinus sounded like he was in a trance.
His shock made chest ache. I nodded and started to cry.
“How?” He looked at me.
I pursed my lips.
“Don’t you dare tell him, you fucking bitch!” Inga said.
“It’s too late to hold anything back, Maritza. Tell me. I’m ordering you.”
I felt like I was having a panic attack. Was he right? Was it all or nothing?
I closed my eyes. “They hack the Domestics.”
Inga looked at me like I’d murdered someone.
Yes. I told him. The words were fighting to get out of me. I stopped thinking and let them out. It was easier just to give in to Elentinus. Easier…and selfish. I knew I might come to regret this for the rest of my life.
“When…when we first went to Earth one of the Domestics talked to me in this old woman’s voice, telling me I had to get the collar off so they could rescue me. I didn’t want to be rescued. I told them to leave me alone. They said human women were being tortured by their husbands and demanded that I help them. I refused, but they said once I saw how bad the women have it there’s no way I’d ignore them. They made me swear not to tell you. They said it would cause genocide if you ever found out. I told them I wouldn’t tell you as long as they never contacted me again. Then Inga came and told me she knew they contacted me and that I had to help her. All she needed was a control unit to shut off her collar. Then she could escape to the pod attached to the waste disposal unit.”
“The pod would take her to Aquar?”
“N-no. To Earth where she could travel to the southern hemisphere and be able to leave the planet on a ship outside of the range of your sensors.”
“Damn.” Elentinus put his face into his hand. “That’s how they got her. It was like she vanished. At first I wondered if I’d find her corpse decomposing in a wall panel.” He took a deep breath. “Ingenious. Those bastards.”
I continued crying. “I was ready to help her escape right now. I almost did it.”
“But you betrayed your people instead,” Whore said.
I looked at him aghast. He said it plainly, as if he were trying to wrap his head around it. I didn’t see any malice in his face.
“The only reason I didn’t help her was because you said it would cause a war.”
Elentinus reached out and gently soothed the side of my face. His lower lip trembled.
“You did the right thing…my love.”
I swallowed a painful gulp.
“I’m going to kill myself.” Inga spoke with tearful anger.
Elentinus rose. “Take her to our room. Get her cleaned up. Don’t leave her alone. Whore, go with them.” He headed towards the lobby.
“Where are you going, Master?”
“To speak with Nayjoor.” He paused and turned back to us. “Inga.”
She set her angry eyes on him.
“Don’t lose hope yet.” He left.
I tried to take her arm. She clung to the back of the chair in front of her.
“Come on,” I said gently. “At least change your dress.”
“Don’t touch me, traitor.”
I cringed back. It felt like she’d shot an arrow into my chest.
A hand soothed my back. I jolted. Whore was looking at me with a placid face.
“I’ll take her, mistress.”
I gawked at him. My heart had been on such a rollercoaster it was hard to keep up with every new shock. Whore was smiling at me. Smiling!
He put Inga’s arm around him and helped her walk. I followed behind them with my head down.
Whore was happy with me.
Oh, God…what have I done?
***
Inga let water cascade over her while leaning against my shower wall with her arms crossed. I sat on the toilet watching her with my peripheral vision. She was skinny to the point of being emaciated.
“What the fuck do you think your husband can do?” she said. I didn’t have to look directly at her to sense the hatred in her eyes.
“Elentinus will make everything right. He always does.”
Inga hurled insults at me nonstop after I said it. I was an idiot. I sounded mentally retarded. I was a typical overfed, self-centered, shallow, obnoxious American. These all bounced off me with little effect.
“You sold out your people just because your murderer husband has a pretty face.”
Now her words stung. I did my best not to show it.
“You better hope I never get to the Earth village
or to the Aquars’ planet. If I do I’m going make sure everyone knows what a fucking traitor Elentinus’ wife is.”
I swallowed. “Are you almost finished?”
“Eat. Shit.”
When we finally emerged from the bathroom only Whore was present in the bedroom. He sauntered over to us.
“I suppose I should escort her back to Lord Nayjoor.”
Inga made several sharp gasps, as though she were trying to resist crying but couldn’t hold back.
“Why don’t we just have her wait here?” I said. “Lord Elentinus must still be with him. I’m sure he’ll come get her when they’re done.”
Whore gave a slight bow. “As you wish, mistress.”
His eerie kindness was sending electricity down my spine. Inga went to the dining table to wait. I sat on one of the cushioned benches embedded in the wall.
Hours passed. I was fine with just sitting and staring at the doorway the whole time. The muscles in my shoulders were wound into tight knots, my throat was raw, and my gut felt like it had been punched. I couldn’t even think everything over. My brain was overloaded. I sat there, both nervous and blank. Whenever I caught sight of Inga, I got a stab of anguish.
Kang rolled over to me when I yawned.
“Please go to bed, mistress. It’s very late.”
“I’m waiting for my husband.”
“It will be some time, yet, mistress. He’s coordinating the retrieval of an enemy pod off the side of the ship.”
I blinked a few times. “Oh.”
I tried to figure out what this meant for Inga, but my brain was fried. When I looked over at her I saw she was sleeping with her head nestled in her folded arms on the table.
“I…I guess I’ll lie down for a while.”
The act of reclining on the mattress made me realize how exhausted I was. Every piece of me ached with tension. I let my head sink into the pillow and faded into sleep.
I slept three or four hours at the most. The sound of Elentinus’ voice had me clambering out of bed. He was descending the stairs with Whore. Inga lifted her head from the table as they walked to her. I went around the other side of the table so I could be near enough to hear without instigating a new round of insults from her.
Alien's Bride Book Three Page 5