“It’s nice to meet you, Danvier.” Rachel lowered her hand, but maintained her smile. “Welcome to Stargazer Ranch. Any friend of Haven’s is a friend of mine.”
Rachel motioned them toward the still-open doorway and Haven went inside. Though Rachel seemed friendly on the surface, Danvier could feel her watching him, assessing him as he turned and followed Haven into the house. It was the same sort of stare he tended to use on strangers, so he didn’t take offense.
After sliding the glass door shut, Rachel kicked off her Sherpa-lined slippers and steered them toward the kitchen. She wore jeans and a loose sweater, depicting a cartoon bear with two frolicking cubs. Her short brown hair had a tendency to curl and leaf-green eyes dominated her pleasant features. Age was hard to determine in Rodyte/human hybrids, but the lines around her eyes and creases framing her mouth put her in her mid-to-late fifties.
“When does your next class start?” Haven asked as they crossed the large living room. The main floor of the cabin was open, with exposed timbers and vaulted ceilings. A corner staircase led to the second floor, likely bedrooms. All Danvier could see was a long row of doors.
“I’m not sure,” Rachel told her. “We like to wait until we have at least six students and right now there are only four.” A breakfast bar separated the kitchen from the rest of the room and Rachel motioned them toward the barstools on the backside of the divider. “Can I make you a sandwich or something?”
“I’m good.” Haven slipped onto one of the stools then looked at him. “Are you hungry?”
He shook his head and climbed onto the stool beside hers. “I’m fine as well.”
Rachel looked distressed by their refusals. “At least let me make you a cup of coffee or some hot chocolate.”
“Hot chocolate would be wonderful,” Haven relented with a smile.
Danvier didn’t care for the often bitter taste of coffee, but he’d never tried the other beverage. “I’ll have the same.”
Seemingly more content with a defined task, Rachel crossed to one of the many cupboards and took down two large enameled mugs. “I spoke with everyone except for Laydon, but I left a detailed message for him. The video conference is set up for six thirty.”
“Perfect. Thanks for doing that for me. I didn’t realize how lost I was without my phone.”
“So, did you guys…beam down from the ship or is there some sort of shuttle stashed in my barn?” With amusement shining in her eyes and a half-smile curving her mouth, Rachel appeared younger than Danvier’s original assessment.
“I’m not allowed to tell you unless the council votes for the alliance.”
“Is that so?” Rachel looked at him, arms folded over her chest. “Anyone who isn’t an ally is an enemy? Is that how you guys are going to play this?”
Her annoyance still seemed a bit playful, so Danvier took it all in stride. “The general’s position wasn’t quite that black-and-white, but we do need to be careful who we trust.”
“That’s just common sense.” Rachel placed one of the mugs in the beverage dispenser on the counter and selected a round cartridge from the circular rack. She placed the cartridge in the dispenser and activated the machine. A short pause followed and then the machine hissed and gurgled. A steaming brownish liquid streamed into the mug. “Does Ulrik know you’re here?”
Haven folded her hands on the breakfast bar and her expression tensed. “Ulrik is adamantly against any sort of alliance. I happen to think he’s wrong about this. That’s why I’m here.”
After preparing the second serving of hot chocolate, Rachel crossed the kitchen with the mugs. She set one down in front of Haven and slid the other toward Danvier. “How long have you been back and how long do you plan to stay?”
Frustration pulsed from Haven strong enough to activate Danvier’s empathic receptors. He reached over and squeezed her leg, just above the knee. The gesture had been instinctual, meant to reassure not arouse, yet desire surged as soon as his fingers made contact with her body. Even separated by her clothing, their connection hummed with energy and emotion.
She looked at him sharply, clearly feeling the unexpected spike of awareness. “My mate passed beyond four months ago. I’m back for good.”
Rachel reached across the counter and squeezed Haven’s hand. “I’m so sorry, dear. You must be devastated.”
Rather than getting into all the details surrounding Javin’s death, Haven said, “Vinton’s death was more of a shock. I just found out about the accident.”
Rachel rounded the breakfast bar and gave Haven a hug. “You’re home now, surrounded by people who love you. Everything is going to be all right.”
His gaze met Haven’s over Rachel’s shoulder. Haven didn’t speak, but the conflict in her gaze made it obvious she didn’t believe life would ever be that simple.
Chapter Six
Milanni looked at the twelve human females lined up along the wall in the cargo bay of the Relentless. She assessed them objectively, not allowing pity or compassion to skew her determination. Their garments were torn, hair unkempt. Some of their gazes were glassy with shock, while resentment and rage burned in others. It would not be easy to gain their cooperation, but thanks to her big mouth, she was now responsible for each and every one of them.
Squaring her shoulders, she prepared to redefine their world. “You will address me as Lady M.” Only half of the humans bothered to look at her. The others stared off into space or intentionally averted their gazes. With a firm squeeze, Milanni activated the flexwhip in her hand, transforming the riding crop she’d been tapping against the side of her leg into a long braided whip. She drew back her arm and swung the whip, snapping it in the air above one human’s head. “Pay attention!”
The woman gasped and moved away from the wall, standing straighter as she looked Milanni in the eyes. “Sorry.”
“When I speak, everyone will listen. If I ask a question, you will respond with ‘yes, Lady M’ or ‘no, Lady M’. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Lady M,” was grumbled by most of the females.
Milanni turned and snapped the shoulder of one particularly inattentive female. The girl cried out and crossed her arms over her heaving chest, but her eyes slowly focused.
“I couldn’t hear you. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, Lady M.” Each of the twelve chorused the reply.
“Better. We’ll work on conviction.” She began to pace in front of the females, inspecting each as she passed. “Life as you knew it is over. The sooner you accept that, the easier it will be for you to adjust.”
“Adjust? Why would we want to adjust?”
The sharp words drew Milanni’s attention to the female she’d rescued from the mess hall. “Yes, adjust. As in adapting to a situation over which you have no control. Anything else is a foolish waste of time.”
The same young woman shook her head. “I refuse to accept that. All I need to do is stay alive until the people on Earth realize what’s happened to me.”
Milanni scoffed. Clearly it was going to require some cruelty before she could soften her approach. “You’re just another missing person. No one is searching for you. And even if they are, how will they sweep in to rescue you? You’re on a spaceship at the very edge of your solar system.” She paused, allowing the facts to sink in. “You are space pets now, like it or not.”
The female she’d startled into attentiveness began to sob, but her gaze remained focused.
“So your solution is to lie down and spread my legs so those bastards can…do it all over again?”
Milanni moved in front of the mouthy female, the end of the whip trailing behind her. “You’re here for one purpose and one purpose only. You will service the sexual needs of these men. Nothing and no one can change that outcome. Your only choice is when and how it’s done. And how much pain you endure in the process.”
“You can make them stop hitting us?” Someone at the other end of the line asked.
“Yes. I will ensure that no one is harmed.
Furthermore, if anyone is too rough or becomes verbally abusive, they will be turned away at the door.”
“You still expect us to be their whores,” the angry one cried, her gaze tear-bright and tormented.
“What’s your name?” Milanni draped the flexwhip around her neck as she faced off with the other female.
“Nicole.” Before Milanni could respond, Nicole rushed on, “It’s not that I don’t appreciate what you did for me. I do. But you want to turn around and subject me to exactly the same thing that you just saved me from. It doesn’t make sense.”
“I cannot spare you this entirely. As you know, my body is not my own either. I must submit to whatever my master wants, whenever he wants it.”
“But you only have one master,” one of the humans pointed out.
“And there might come a time when the commander will allow his officers to claim private pets. These are things I can negotiate if you cooperate with me.”
“I want access to a shower after each…” The woman shuddered. “Whenever I want one.”
“I think that can be arranged.” Rodyte males grew more aggressive when they scented another male. She could use the fact to justify the request. Without easy access to water, it would have to be a negative ion cleaning stall, but the stalls could refresh clothing as well as rid the body of perspiration and dead skin cells.
“I want to be able to sleep without having to worry about being attacked.”
“Done. Each of you will be allowed eight uninterrupted hours each cycle to sleep and four to spend however you like.”
“As long as we don’t leave this room,” Nicole challenged.
“For now. Once the crew grows accustomed to the new rules, I might be able to negotiate a little more freedom.”
“Freedom?” Nicole echoed Milanni’s scoff. “You’re making it seem more civilized, but we’re still sex slaves.”
“Yes, we are. I’m just as much a slave as you are.”
“And I’d rather be dead.”
Milanni had seen females driven to utter hopelessness. Nicole was far too rebellious for true desolation. “If you mean that, I’ll have one of our guards take you to the nearest airlock. Suffocation isn’t the most pleasant way to go, but it’s relatively fast. Do you really want to die?” She stared into Nicole’s eyes, waiting for her answer. “Well?”
Nicole’s defiance deflated and her shoulders sagged. “No.”
“Then focus on survival. We cannot change our fate, but we do have control over certain elements of our situation.”
“I might have to let them touch me,” Nicole muttered, “but I won’t pretend to like it.”
Milanni smiled. “I can work with that.”
* * * * *
“That was easy.” Rachel powered down her computer and looked at Haven.
Haven logged off of the video conferencing site then powered down the laptop Rachel had loaned her for their meeting with the guiding council. “I honestly expected more of an argument.”
“You sound disappointed.” Rachel pushed back from her desk and swiveled to face Haven who sat at the tiny round conference table in the back corner of Rachel’s home office. The room was pleasant and well organized, like the entire house. Rachel was a firm believer in everything having a place and everything being kept in its place. Haven tried to follow her example, but her life tended to be more chaotic than Rachel’s.
“I’m not disappointed,” Haven assured her. “Between Javin and Ulrik, I’ve had my fill of arguments for a while. I’ll gladly take an easy win.”
Rachel moved out from behind her desk and joined Haven at the table. “This wasn’t a win so much as permission to play. Your win has to come against the battle born.”
Haven shook her head as she pressed back into her chair. “I have no intention of taking on the battle born. I’m going to convince them to let us fight with them against the status quo on Rodymia.”
“Fair enough.” Rachel searched Haven’s gaze for a long moment and Haven braced for the barrage of questions she knew was coming. Rachel knew her too well to accept all these changes without explanation. If Haven’s bonding had been legitimate, she might never have returned to Earth. “Why are you more torn up over Vinton’s passing than Javin’s? Javin was your mate. Some soul-bonded couples don’t survive the separation.”
She could tell Rachel anything. They’d known each other since Haven was a child. Rachel was part mentor, part best friend. Still, Haven hesitated. It was hard to explain without admitting what a fool she’d been. “Javin had his hands wrapped around my throat, trying to choke the life out of me, when one of his bodyguards shot him.”
Disbelief widened Rachel’s eyes and she reached across the table for Haven’s hand. “Why? I don’t understand.”
“I couldn’t keep from digging into things that didn’t concern me, so I found out things I wasn’t supposed to know. Javin was running the IG like a crime syndicate, bribes and intimidation, brutal beatings and mysterious disappearances. When he realized how much I’d uncovered, his reaction was instantaneous and violent.”
“I’m so sorry.” Rachel’s brows drew together, but compassion warmed her gaze.
With a sad smile, Haven tried to minimize the pain by focusing on facts. “Our relationship had fizzled long before that horrible night. He was secretive and distant. I knew something was wrong after the first few months. It might have worked if I was the sort to ignore the obvious and go with the flow. But we both know that’s not me.”
“How was he able to hide the truth for so long? If you were bonded, you had access to his mind, his emotions.”
Haven shook her head. “I’m not convinced we were ever truly soul bonded. We were genetically compatible. The pull was unmistakable, but our link only worked when he opened the door. I don’t know if he was naturally gifted or if the IG has technologies they don’t share with the rest of the worlds, but technomages can do things…” Emotion closed her throat and she had to look away. “They’re dangerous, Rachel. Much more dangerous than anyone realizes.”
Rachel’s hand squeezed hers, drawing her attention back to Rachel’s face. “Did they hurt you?”
“Not the way you mean. The one and only time it turned physical was the day Javin died.”
“Well, I’m glad for that at least.” With a heavy sigh, Rachel scooted back from the table. “Will they come after you?”
“I don’t know. I inadvertently caused the death of their guild master. Something tells me they’re not going to shrug it off.”
“Then it’s a good thing you’ll have the battle born to protect you.”
A private smile spread across Haven’s face as Danvier’s image appeared inside her mind. They’d spent many hours together since her rescue, yet she’d barely begun to know him. She’d learned just enough to make her really curious about the rest. “I don’t disagree, but protection wasn’t my primary motivation for pursuing an alliance with the battle born.”
Scooting back even farther, Rachel crossed her legs. “And this harbinger? Is he just your escort or is something going on between you two?”
She should have realized Rachel would pick up on the connection. Rachel was one of the most perceptive people Haven had ever known. “We’re genetically compatible too, but I don’t think I want another mate. The first one didn’t turn out so well.”
“How intensely do you feel the pull?” Rachel’s expression grew serious, as if she dreaded Haven’s answer.
“Like I never have before.”
“Then you need to explore it.” The reply surprised Haven. She’d expected an earnest warning to stay away from him. “True mates don’t come along every day.” Rachel laughed. “At least not for most people. I’m still waiting for my first mate and you’re on to try number two. That doesn’t seem quite fair.” Even though her tone was playful, Haven saw the pain in her friend’s eyes. Without a mating bond, anyone with Rodyte blood couldn’t produce children. And Rachel’s mothering instinct had always
been particularly strong. Her need to protect and rear children led to the establishment of the awakening guidelines and the eventual founding of Stargazer Ranch.
“It’s not fair.” Haven fidgeted. Rachel, as always, had been nothing but kindness and understanding, but Haven didn’t know how to feel about the bizarre anomaly. “I can’t help wondering if there’s something about my DNA that makes me unusually compatible with males.”
“From what I understand, the battle born are much better equipped to answer that question than anyone on Earth.”
“I guess it couldn’t hurt to ask General Nox to order some tests.”
Rachel perked up at the name. “Have you met him face-to-face?”
“Yeah. He’s what you’d expect, autocratic and no-nonsense, and yet he’s not. There’s compassion and a sort of quiet wisdom that makes him much more interesting than I expected.”
Rachel chuckled. “Are you compatible with him too?”
Her friend was clearly joking, but the jibe was too close to Ulrik’s accusations. “There’s nothing going on between me and General Nox.”
“I was teasing you.” Rachel pushed to her feet and waved Haven from the office. “Let’s get out of here. Business is making you grumpy.”
Family was making her grumpy, but Haven didn’t argue. She followed Rachel from the office. They’d had sandwiches before the video conference, so Rachel headed out the back door. The sun was just beginning to set and the evening was pleasantly cool. A railed deck ran the entire length of the house, with a table and chairs at one end and a gas grill at the other. She couldn’t see the other cabins from this angle and the tall pine trees beyond the lawn created a sense of peaceful isolation.
Too anxious to sit, Haven strolled across the deck and rested her forearms on the railing. The tranquil scene and fresh cool air helped calm her emotions and focus her thoughts. She was relieved to have the council’s authorization, but the actual negotiation had just begun. Could she protect the needs of her people while helping the battle born achieve their goals? And how would humans fit into the equation?
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