She shoots a fleeting glance at Coop, and that’s all the confirmation we need to know she was planning on taking him too. Coop looks like he’s about to throw up.
She drills a serious look at Dane. “You better behave and submit to me wholly. Cross me, refuse me, even once, and this deal is null and void.”
“Agreed.” Dane’s face is a mask of indifference as he eyeballs her, committing himself to this madness.
“Anything else or have you gotten it all off your chest now?”
“That’s it.”
She smiles, and it’s evil personified. “I’m so going to enjoy this.” She traces the tip of one finger down his arm while scanning him from head to toe. “You might be my greatest conquest yet.”
CHAPTER 8
Tori/Alinthia
I spend the rest of the day locked in a horrid, twisted, dark place, using nefarious thoughts of what Alandra’s doing to my guys to power my body and supercharge my mind, becoming more in control in these few hours than I have been for weeks. But I’m uneasy, and on edge, as well as mentally and physically drained by the end of the day.
“You did good work,” Zorc says. “Practice the mind exercises in your chambers. It’s like any muscle. The more you work it, the stronger it will become.”
“That was a very impressive display of power, Alinthia,” Director Tanner says, stepping out of the glass box he’s been holed up in all day. “Very impressive indeed.”
“And you haven’t even seen the half of it yet,” Zorc supplies like some proud father.
I shoot him a hate-filled look, and he chuckles, clamping a hand on my shoulder. “I can see why your protectors enjoy your company so much. It’s been fun, Alinthia. We should do this again.” He winks, chuckling at his own feeble joke.
“Funny. Not.” I rub at the dull pounding in my skull, wishing I had the ability to teleport to my room. The thoughts of making that trek back heaps an added layer onto the exhaustion pile.
“I’ve had some material delivered to your chamber. It’s all the intel I’ve managed to uncover in relation to the secret society. Take a read through it. Perhaps it might trigger a memory.”
“Can I go now?” I’m a gross, sweaty mess, and I just want to grab a hot shower and crawl into bed.
He nods. “Good evening, Alinthia, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Zorc walks off then, head bowed, deep in conversation with Director Tanner. Dr. Lanter watches him with hungry eyes, and a shudder works its way through me.
Sergeant Green escorts me back, insisting I stop in the main room to have dinner. Feeling all the eyeballs on my sweaty form doesn’t help my mood, but I’m ravenous, and I need to eat. Tav appears at my side as if by magic. “You look tired, Chosen—Alinthia,” he quickly corrects. “Why don’t you take a seat, and I’ll fix you a plate?”
I should protest, because this seems a bit slave-like, but I’m too flipping exhausted. I give him my best effort of a smile. “That would be awesome. Thanks so much.”
I join Ellya at a table at the head of the room. The other diners get up to leave, so I turn and address them. “Please don’t leave. You are more than welcome to stay here. I don’t want anyone inconvenienced because of me.” Several curious sets of eyes look at me in confusion. I plop down on the bench across from Ellya. “Why does it feel like I’ve done something wrong?” I inquire, rubbing my tired eyes.
She leans across the table. “Most have been indoctrinated in relation to the prophecy, their families drilling the customs and traditions into them from birth. It’s not easy for them to let go of how they’ve been taught to treat you, to revere you. You acting all cool with them is freaking them out. You should just let them get on with it.”
“Don’t sugarcoat it or anything,” I say, resting my head on my arms on the table. I’m struggling to stay awake.
“Tav’s the suck-up, not me.”
I lift my chin, grinning at her. “He’s sweet.”
“Sweet on you, you mean.”
I arch a brow and she laughs. “Please don’t pretend like you haven’t seen him making those googly eyes at you. He’s smitten. Think he has been for years, before he even met you.”
I frown at her comment, feeling apprehensive. “I haven’t noticed that.”
She takes a large bite out of her apple. “Tav’s kinda like the teacher’s pet around here, and, even though he’s been here for years, they have indulged him. Allowed him to study the prophecy to the point where he became obsessed. He’s been on a countdown until you showed up. He’s banking on you to be the one to get us out of here.”
“No pressure or anything,” I add, yawning.
She leans down, placing her face on her hands, maintaining eye contact with me. “You know, I always just accepted you were aware of your heritage this whole time. Back home on Rindyar, we were taught that you’d been sent away for your safety, that you were training in preparation for awakening and the day when you would lead a united force to victory in the galaxy. I never even stopped to consider any alternatives.”
“Great. Is that what they teach everyone? I already feel like a big fat failure. Everyone expects me to be this great warrior, but I’m just me. And I’m trying to get up to speed, but without the guys, I—” Powerful emotion threatens to choke me. The connection surges, frustrated and agitated, matching my mood.
“What did you say to upset her?” Tav demands, glaring at Ellya as he carefully places a tray heaped with food in front of me.
I sit up, working hard to keep my emotions at bay. “Relax, Tav. Ellya didn’t say anything to upset me. I was just thinking of my protectors, and I miss them. I miss them so much.”
Swallowing the messy ball of emotion in the back of my throat, I silently caution myself to get a grip. All these people expect me to be some respected warrior, a leader-in-the-making. The last thing they need is to see me fall to pieces. That would only do wonders for my rep. Without the guys, the sense of responsibility weighs heavy on my mind, and I can’t bow to the pressure. I’ve got to keep a cool head. My survival, and that of the guys, depends upon it. I won’t let them down. Not when they need me. When they are relying on me to rescue them.
“You love them,” Ellya says, cocking her head to the side.
“So much. They are a part of my heart and my soul and the air I need to breathe.”
“But are you in love with them?” she continues prodding.
“Ellya!” Tav barks. “That is not an appropriate question to ask the savior!”
I place my hand on his, and his eyes pop wide. “It’s okay, Tav. We’re all friends here, right?”
Slowly, he nods, and I lift my hand off his, refocusing on Ellya. “Yes, I’m in love with them. With all of them, which is why being apart is hurting me so much.”
“We have to get you out of here,” Tav whispers, and he and Ellya share a knowing look.
I glance quickly over my shoulder. “Do you know a way?”
They lock eyes again, both nodding. Excitement bubbles inside me. “Then we need to formulate a plan.”
Tav casts a sly look around. “Agreed, but it won’t be easy. Cameras and guards watch our every move, but we have found a way to communicate without them knowing.”
“You have my attention,” I murmur, my gaze never leaving theirs.
“Put in a request to be moved to a room beside ours,” Tav suggests. “I will make the same request.”
“And they’ll listen to you?” I ask.
He nods.
“Tav is the liaison officer in the compound,” Ellya explains, “so he has a certain level of influence. That doesn’t mean they’ll automatically agree, but surely, if you ask Commander Zorc, he’ll ensure it’s approved?”
“You know him?”
They nod enthusiastically. “He holds monthly meetings with us, providing updates and news of what’s going on in the galaxy and outside this compound.”
“Why would he do that?” My brow puckers in confusion.
They share kno
wing looks again. “We will explain when we can. For now, know you can trust him to have your best interests at heart.”
Eh, yeah, so not happening, but I’m not going to voice that out loud. These two seem like fully paid members of the Zorc fan club. But they also have information that I desperately need, so if requesting this of Zorc will bring me a step closer to the answers I need, I’ll do it.
I ask him the following day, after another long, grueling training session. My limbs throb with exhaustion, but I don’t complain. While I deplore his methods, and hate using dark thoughts to fuel my powers, it’s working.
“Why do you want to move closer to Tavroc and Ellya?” he inquires.
“They’re the only friends I have here. Everyone else is too awestruck to come near me.” I shake my head in consternation. I tried talking to the girl and boy in the line ahead of me at breakfast this morning, and they dropped to their knees, saluting me, instead of engaging me in conversation.
“I don’t know what your parents were thinking sending you to Earth. You have far too much human in you,” he scoffs.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“Because it is. Humans are too caught up in their ‘feelings’.” He makes little quote marks with his fingers, and he looks so weird doing it I almost bust out laughing. “Emotions complicate everything.”
“Are you saying Verronians don’t feel? Or any other species in the galaxy, for that matter?”
“Of course, they feel, but it’s not the same. Everything isn’t driven by their emotions like it is on Earth.”
“I feel insulted on behalf of every human,” I retort, anger flaring inside me. “And maybe if you gave in to your feelings, you wouldn’t be such a double-crossing douchebag.”
His amused grin only irks me more, and I hate that my insult just rolled over him. I like pressing his buttons, when I can get away with it. “And it’s hypocritical of you to instruct me to use my darker emotions to fuel my power and then criticize me for being too human. You can’t have it both ways.”
“That’s different. That’s using emotion for a logical purpose, to serve an important goal.”
Man, he has an answer for everything. It reminds me of arguing with Dane, or attempting to argue with Dane, and that thought raises my anxiety to new levels. The guys are never far from my mind, and I’m worrying constantly about them. “Whatever.” I’m not getting into this with Zorc. “Can you get me transferred or what?”
He rolls his eyes. “I’ll see what I can do.”
The following evening, I am rehoused in the same residential section of the compound as Ellya and Tav. This news excites them no end, and I’m itching to find out more. To discover what exactly they meant when they said they knew a way to escape. After dinner, I’m locked in my room, lying on my bed, trying to meditate. Exerting full control over my mind is the key to commanding complete discipline of my powers, both physical and mental. Beck has always driven that point home, and it’s one of the reasons why Maddox struggles with certain aspects of telecommunication, because his unique gift is a physical one, rather than a mental one like the other three Roth brothers.
I blank my mind and go to a zen place. Then I search for the thread, the one that connects me to my protectors. I need to find it. To see it in my mind’s eye as if it’s a tangible cord. When I find it, I have to latch onto it and then follow the line until I reach the guys. It sounds relatively straightforward when I state it like this, but locating the thread is a lot like searching for the holy grail—an insurmountable challenge so far.
When I’m in the zone, and my mind is blank, thousands, maybe millions, of threads appear in my mind. Locating the one I need to connect to the guys has so far eluded me. But I’m stubbornly determined this time. I need to find a way to communicate with the guys. I’m going crazy without them and terrified of what’s being done to them. Being able to speak with them would go a long way toward reassuring me. And them, I’m sure. I’ve no doubt they are freaking out about me in the same way I’m freaking out about them.
I’ve let my mind wander again so I refocus. Banishing all exterior distractions, I search through the vast cavities of my mind.
A subtle tap-tapping in proximity has my eyes opening of their own accord a short while later. I sit up as a flashing red light sweeps through my room. The light appears to be coming from a large vent on the far wall. It’s situated at ground level, underneath my desk. My mouth hangs open as the beam of light washes over the room in grand sweeping motions, gradually transforming from red to amber and then green.
“Alinthia!” Tav’s whisper echoes around the room. “Over here!” The tapping grows more insistent, and I scoot off the bed, pulling the chair away and ducking under the desk to the vent. Tav shoves a slim, long, metal object through the vent. “Use that to unscrew the panel,” he instructs, and I get to work. When all four screws are loose, I pull the vent off the wall, quietly and carefully placing it on the ground.
Tav crawls forward on his elbows, dragging his long, lean body behind him. Then Ellya’s striking silvery-green eyes appear behind him as she too hauls herself into my room.
“Holy shit!” I exclaim. “What was that beam of light?”
“It’s deactivated all the surveillance in the room,” Tav confirms with a grin, propping his butt against the edge of my desk.
“Won’t they notice that?”
“Nope.” Elllya runs a hand down her pants, smoothing out the wrinkles. “It takes the last feed from your cell and replicates it on a loop. Provided we don’t stay too long, they won’t ever notice.”
“How the hell do you have access to technology like that?” I ask, perching on the corner of my bed. I pat the space beside me, and Ellya flops down alongside me.
“Commander Zorc gave it to me.” Tav confirms my suspicions.
I cock my head to the side, narrowing my eyes. “Why?”
“He’s not our enemy, Alinthia,” Ellya responds. “He’s helping us.”
Tav opens the palm of his hand, pressing the only button on a small black device, and a holo image appears. “This is a map of the compound,” he begins explaining. He touches one long finger to the screen, and a bright pink line snakes through the map. “And this is the route we will take to escape when the time comes. We will navigate through the vents initially, and then we’ll use the old access tunnels which are no longer in active use but still open.”
My jaw slackens. “Zorc again?” I guess, and Tav nods. I’m quiet for a minute as I contemplate everything. “Why? Why is he helping you?” I think I get it when it comes to me. He needs me here to show the government that he’s cooperating, and to train me, but I don’t understand why he has to go to such lengths to orchestrate my release. Does he not trust the humans to adhere to their side of the bargain, or there’s more to it than I’ve been told? I’m guessing he’s engaged Tav and Ellya to help me escape because getting me out isn’t as easy as he’s implied or he’s playing some other angle, which isn’t all that hard to believe.
Zorc is the most skilled manipulator I’ve ever met, and he’s always hedging his bets.
“Because he wants to set us free,” Tav replies with complete conviction in his voice. “He hates what the humans have done to us.”
“And he wants to make them pay,” Ellya adds, her words sending chills down my spine.
“Make them pay how?”
Ellya and Tav eyeball one another, and I’m wondering if they have a way of telepathically communicating given how intensely they’re staring at one another.
Tav clears his throat and looks at me. “After we get everyone out, he intends to destroy this compound and all the weapons he has helped the humans create.”
CHAPTER 9
That Zorc plans to double-cross his allies comes as no surprise to me. But I’m wondering what his real agenda is. Zorc doesn’t care about anyone but himself, and, possibly, Jentarr, so why is he really helping them? “If you know how to escape, why are y
ou still here? Why haven’t you left before now?” I ask.
“Because we needed to wait for you,” Tav confirms.
“And we can only leave when the commander tells us the time is right,” Ellya adds. Her statement makes me uneasy. Although I don’t know either Tav or Ellya all that well, I like them, and I get a strong sense I can rely on them, but their bullheaded loyalty to Zorc is a troubling concern.
“I know you don’t trust him,” Tav says, as if he’s read my mind. “And we both understand this is feeding into his overall plan, that we don’t really matter to him in the overall scheme of things, but he’s our only way out of here.”
“Finding you and escaping are the only things keeping us alive these last few years,” Ellya says. “We both would’ve gone crazy otherwise.”
“How much do the others know?” I ask.
“Enough to cooperate,” Tav supplies. “We exist peacefully here. We don’t give the humans any trouble. We obey and comply, and everything ticks along nicely.”
“But it’s all for show,” I guess.
“Yes,” he hisses. “They killed my family, and there isn’t a day goes by that I don’t remember that. But we have bided our time. Commander Zorc first took a personal interest in me when I was eight, when I’d been here a few years already, and he explained things, showed me a different path. At that time, I was refusing to cooperate, and the humans were considering terminating me. They only kept me alive up to that point because the others looked up to me, for some reason, but as I reached maturity I resented their tests and their demands, and I started lashing out. Zorc calmed me down, and I realized I wasn’t so alone. He told me his plans to bring you here and free us and told me he needed someone on the inside he could trust. He groomed me for this role. To become a leader to our kind and a mediator between us and the humans.”
“He was the lesser of two evils,” I surmise, and Tav nods.
“We’re not dumb,” Ellya cuts in. “We know there’s a limit to his empathy and that we’re a means to an end, but we’re using him too. As long as we obtain freedom, we don’t care. We’ll figure out the rest once we have escaped.”
The Warrior Princess: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance Page 6