by CR Barlow
As if Lolita wanted her to return.
Or maybe she did. Maybe she wanted to see Ingrid suffer before her death.
"I am magically bound to the emperor," Ashley said eventually. "I can't disobey his orders."
Lolita spoke, her voice soft. "He didn't order you to take her to Earth. He ordered you to see to it she returns home. But where is home?"
"I know he means Earth, I can't play that card!" Ashley frowned at her. "But…"
Ingrid's breath caught in her chest. She didn't want to fight her friend for her freedom. Ashley would win. "But?"
"But maybe… Maybe I could delay it. He didn't say it must be done right away, and if I gave you a ticket for passage from Mars to Earth… I can't give you any money, Ingrid, not when I know you'll run. But if you are on Mars, then the only way off is to go to Earth. I could leave you there. There might be a way… somehow. I can't think about it anymore. If I think of a way for you to avoid returning to Earth, then I can't leave you there."
Her expression was tortured and Ingrid pulled her into an embrace. Her eyes filled with tears.
"There is no way off Mars except to Earth. Everybody knows that." She knew that, too. If Ashley left her on Mars, her only choices would be to go to Earth or starve to death. "But at least it's time for me to prepare to face him again."
She caught Lolita's gaze for a second, but the blonde looked away. Ingrid's chest felt tight, her stomach churning. Was there justice waiting for Lolita, or only an unjust death?
Could she really let Lolita go if that meant that she was going to die, whether she was guilty or not?
Chapter Nine
"I'm sorry," Ashley said yet again as she fastened the iron-silver shackle around Ingrid's wrist, and chained the other end to the wall. "I know you'd run if you could, so I have to do this."
Ingrid nodded, understanding. Her friend was doing everything she could to help her, but she could no more defy Harper than a snake could eat its own tail. Her frustration shone from her amber eyes, though she attempted to keep emotion from her face. After she had secured Ingrid, she embraced her friend.
"Maybe he has seen the error of his ways," the warrior whispered. "Maybe he wasn't thinking clearly then and he is now."
Ingrid made herself smile so her friend wouldn't feel even more guilty than she already did, but she knew it was a vain hope. Harper did as Harper pleased when it came to his personal life. Maybe I should kill him.
Except he was a good ruler. Violence had been reduced by half throughout the solar system since he became emperor, and planets without many resources, like Pluto, had been given enough aid that they were starting to be able to stand on their own feet. Harper was a cad, but he did help the system grow more prosperous.
Ashley made sure that Ingrid had plenty of food and water within reach, then embraced her again. "The ship will take about six hours to refuel, and I need to deliver some supplies to the outposts here. I'm sorry I have to leave you here."
"It's not your fault."
"I'm sorry all the same."
It wasn't long after Ashley departed that Lolita spoke. "Harper wants to force you to marry him?"
Ingrid glared at her. "I am not talking about this with you."
"Ginny, please. We're stuck in here together, the least we can do is talk about it." A brief pause. "I never did like the way he looked at you when there were public gatherings."
"I said I don't want to talk about it!"
Lolita fell silent.
Ingrid laid back on the cot, turning her head to gaze at what little she could see of the Jupiter space port from where she was. Bright purple walls assaulted her eyes. The dwarves of Jupiter had a penchant for shiny, bright objects, and it showed everywhere, from the walls to their ships to the grand gates carved from diamond.
They were considered the greediest of all peoples in the solar system, since their power system was based on wealth and not virtue, inheritance or any other such thing. Wealth could only be amassed by an individual, it could not be given, and they had no family units. Children were put in homes, where from the time they started to walk, they were taught how to create good business deals.
"He wants to marry me," Ingrid suddenly said, unable to bear the silence any longer. "He told me right after Edan died. He doesn't plan on giving me a choice."
"Bastard," Lolita whispered. "If I wasn't already considered a traitor I'd become one to kill him."
Ingrid clenched her jaw, not because of what Lolita said but because of the instant surge of warmth she felt towards her ex-lover. This was a terrible situation for her, being returned to Earth to be executed, but instead of continuing to plead for Ingrid to believe her own story, she was being understanding and sympathetic. Something Ashley, for all her virtues, could not be.
She knew what it meant to physically be required to take orders as long as they caused no harm to Earth, but she didn't know the fear that came from being coerced in this manner... Being dragged back to be a prisoner in your own father-in-law's bed, thinking desperately for a way to avoid it, but not being able to find an alternative.
Lolita did. Because she was in a very similar situation.
"Lolita…"
The blonde shivered and looked up, eyes wide and hopeful.
"I'm sorry I didn't go to see you that day."
A finger hooked through the grating. "If you let me out of here, I can help you get away from Harper forever."
Ingrid blinked, and rage replaced all the tender feelings that had begun to be reborn in her. "So that's your play, is it? Pretend to be on my side so that you can weasel your way into my head and still use me to escape?"
Lolita's eyes widened. "No, I—"
"My personal woes are nothing compared to what the families that lost loved ones in the massacre have to deal with! I can't choose to free you so you can kill more people just because I'm afraid! I'll find another way!"
"How many times do I have to tell you? I had nothing to do with that!"
Ingrid laughed.
"I wasn't even on Luna during the massacre!"
Ingrid's eyes narrowed. "We were going to meet on Luna."
"Ginny, I knew you weren't going to see me. I could hear it in your voice when we set up the date. So I waited for you, and when you didn't come…"
"Why are you just telling me this now?"
"I was with Edan."
Ingrid's heart dropped. Her insides felt like they were being squeezed by a huge, cold hand, and she automatically shook her head. "No. No, you weren't. Edan would never betray me, and you aren't even attracted to men."
"Not like that." Lolita's voice softened. "I went to talk to him. I thought that he was the reason you were so afraid to be near me. I told him that he could have both of us if that meant I could be near you. I said I wouldn't even kiss you, unless it was to put on a show for him. I was desperate. I loved you so much I didn't care what he would do to me. I expected him to be like the rumors, chasing everything in a skirt."
"He wasn't like that," Ingrid whispered. "He was never like that."
"He refused my offer point-blank," Lolita continued. "Told me that you and he were meant to be, and that was all there was to it."
Ingrid's eyes welled with tears. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"
"Because… Because I think he's the one who arranged for me to be implicated in the massacre. He saw me as a rival, and got rid of me."
"No!" Ingrid shook her head hard. "No, he would never do that!"
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, that's just what I thought… but maybe it was Harper. Edan told him about what I did and Harper took care of the problem."
Ingrid heart pounded. That had to be it. There was no way her beloved Edan would do anything like that, but Harper? It had his fingerprints all over it. She closed her eyes, then snapped them open when she realized something.
She believed Lolita when she said she had nothing to do with the massacre.
She had always believed her.
&nbs
p; Damn. What was she going to do now?
"Ginny." Lolita's voice was soft. "Ginny, if you get me out of here, I promise, I swear on my sister's grave, that I will help you track down Jorgensen and kill him for what he did to Edan."
Chapter Ten
Was it worth it? Ingrid lifted her face to the spray of hot water that cascaded down on her. Could she really free Lolita, escape the ship, and go find Edan's persecutor? Ingrid could use the blonde's magic. Jorgensen was powerful, perhaps the most powerful warlock in the system. Killing him would not be easy.
And if Lolita was telling the truth about the massacre, then Ingrid would be helping an innocent life escape a cruel fate.
But if she was lying, and Ingrid helped her escape Ashley, then she would be aiding a terrorist, and she would probably end up dead before ever reaching Jorgensen.
So the question was, were the risks worth it? Was trusting Lolita worth it?
Ingrid turned off the shower, peeking around to see if Ashley was on the ship. They had landed on Mars a few hours ago, and her friend had promised to find a place for Ingrid to stay before she left again.
What will Harper do to Ashley if I do this?
Ingrid's mouth twisted into a frown as she grabbed a towel. He wouldn't hurt her, would he? No, he wouldn't. He probably would just send her after them again… The thought made Ingrid shudder, but somehow that only strengthened her resolve. Harper was a bastard, she couldn't let him anywhere near her again; he didn't care that Edan had been tortured to a point of insanity before his uprising; he wouldn’t care that Lolita was innocent.
Everything she lived for rested on this choice.
Ingrid took a deep breath, wrapping the towel around herself before she stepped from the shower. Normally she would dry off and dress in the shower, as uncomfortable as that was, but it took too long and every second that passed by was another second that Ashley could return.
Lolita's eyes widened at the sight of the water trickling down Ingrid's bare legs, flushed, and averted her eyes.
Ingrid marched over to the grate and keyed in the combination to open it. Ashley had put the silver-iron shackles on her before leaving, but they didn't need magic right now.
"Ginny?" Lolita's voice was almost… breathless. "What are you doing?"
"I'm taking you up on your offer. I help you escape, you help me take out Jorgenson. That's the deal. If you double cross me, I'll drag you back to Earth myself. Got it?"
Lolita scrambled out of the cargo slot, her movements stiff. Her eyes never left Ingrid, and that hopeful look was still in them. Standing, her gaze flickered over Ingrid's towel-clad body and her neck went scarlet. It made Ingrid blush herself, but she turned her back–praying Lolita didn't attack her–and marched over to the pilot controls. They were genetically bound to Ashley. She could see that instantly.
"We'll have to find another ship out there to get out of here." Ingrid ground her teeth. "We'll have to steal a ship."
"No problem. Orcs don't have magic-resistant tech, and they're a strict matriarchy. If we find a ship guarded by men, chances are they won't oppose us when we claim it. The real challenge will to be get these things off." She raised her wrists, the iron and silver shackles rolling on her wrists.
Ingrid sighed, beginning to dry herself off. She couldn't go out there wearing just a towel, after all! She noticed Lolita's eyes darkening and glared at her.
Lolita turned her back. "I'm sorry."
"Let me make one thing clear. We are not going to be lovers again. Ever. So don't look at me like that, don't think of me like that, and keep your hands to yourself."
"I understand."
But two seconds later as the gangplank to the ship began to open, Lolita suddenly seized her, kissing her fiercely. Ingrid yelped, pulling away instinctively. Lolita gasped, looking over her shoulder, eyes wide, horrified.
Ingrid could sense Ashley behind her and closed her eyes. How was she supposed to explain this? Lolita free, her naked—
Oh. That's why Lolita had kissed her.
Ingrid swallowed thickly and turned, covering herself with the towel. Ashley's face was pale, her jaw hanging loose, eyes popping from her head. A hand was on the gun at her side.
"Ash, let me explain." Her voice shook.
"Explain? I don't think you can explain!" Ashley's eyes narrowed. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Ingrid's brain scrambled for an answer.
"Orcs don't like humans," she blurted. "And there's no way off Mars. In a few days I'm going to be in Harper's bed, and I wanted to have one last chance to have consensual sex before that happens."
Ashley's face paled further. "You were going to have sex with this murderess?"
"I…" Ingrid hung her head and reached for her clothes. Did Ashley buy it? Was she going to take her straight to Earth because of this? "Who else am I supposed to have sex with? You're the only other person here, and you're my friend. I couldn't have sex with you, even if you weren't ace!"
"I understand the sentiment, Ing, but her?"
Ingrid pulled on her clothes, suddenly angry at Ashley. Even though it wasn't the truth, did her friend have to judge her reasons so much? She opened her mouth to say just that when suddenly Lolita's arm was around her shoulder and a knife pressed to her throat. Her heart jumped to her throat.
"Remove your weapons or I'll kill her." Lolita's voice was cold.
Ashley's face paled. Her gun was halfway out of its holster and she froze.
"Harper ordered you to bring her back safely. Having her throat slashed isn't safe."
"I was also ordered to bring you back. If I do as you say, you'll escape." Ashley's face twisted with fury. "Let her go. I don't have to bring you alive."
Ingrid's breathing was rapid. She didn't know what to think–was Lolita seriously threatening her life, or was she bluffing? Where had she gotten that knife anyway? Her wide, frightened eyes locked with Ashley's and the warrior cursed. She unbuckled her belt and let her gun and sword drop to the ground.
"Now give sweet Ginny here the key to these cuffs," Lolita instructed, and Ashley obeyed.
The key felt heavy in Ingrid's hand despite how tiny it was.
"Get in the cargo slot."
Moments later, Ashley was locked in the small space that Lolita had been just minutes before. Lolita grinned, the knife still against Ingrid's throat, as she stared down at Ashley.
"I would kill you," she said, her voice cold as ice, "but I think I'd rather let you face the shame of failing in your mission…"
Ashley hissed and Lolita laughed, backing her and Ingrid off of the ship. As soon as they were out of Ashley's sight, Lolita dropped the knife to her side. Her eyes were concerned as she checked Ingrid's neck.
"I was afraid I broke skin," she said, flashing Ingrid a smile. "Sorry about that. It was the best way. Now if we're caught again, you were just an unwilling participant."
Ingrid stared at her former lover, not knowing what to say. Lolita took her head and pulled her away from the ship.
"Let's go. We have a warlord to hunt down."
BOOK TWO: BLOODBOUND, AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER NOW
About the Author
Born in the Okanagan Valley, C.R Barlow grew up hiking mountain trails and splashing in the Okanagan Lake while looking for Ogopogo (and she swears she saw the legendary lake monster once!), and gazing at the stars at night with her two sisters and golden lab Billy.
C.R. realized that she wanted to be a writer from a very young age, ever since she read her first novel and realized just how much the written word can affect a person. Now married to her best friend from elementary school, she still resides in the Okanagan, still searching for Ogopogo, now accompanied by her three-year old daughter and their pug, Puddles.
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