“Where do I fit into all this?”
Tav drops to his knees before me. “You are everything, Chosen One. This has always been about you.”
Ellya slides down alongside him. “We will follow you to the far reaches of the galaxy. You are our savior, and we will do your bidding.”
“Just promise to take us with you,” Tav rushes to add. “We would both die to serve and protect you.”
I drop onto my knees with them, taking each of their hands in mine. I don’t need to know them to understand they are sincere. I can’t fully explain it, but it’s like a sixth sense. Something deep inside me prompting me to trust in them. To believe and accept their loyalty. “I’m not going anywhere without you. Without all of you.” My gaze bounces between them. “I don’t fully understand what Zorc is up to, and I don’t trust him, but I do trust you.”
Tav’s responding smile is full of grateful adoration, and tears well in Ellya’s eyes. “You don’t know how good it is to finally have you here,” she whispers. “To finally see a way out.” Her voice is choked with emotion, and I squeeze her hand. “To consider the possibility I might get to return home. To see my family again.”
“We’re all in this together now, and I will do everything in my power to help reunite you with your family.”
Sounds of hushed conversation tickle my eardrums, and all the tiny hairs lift on the back of my neck. I strain to hear more. The voices are coming from outside, and I recognize Sergeant Green, but I don’t think I’ve heard the other male voice before. Even if I can’t quite decipher what they are saying, alarm washes over me as their voices grow louder.
“Shit,” I hiss. “Someone is coming. You need to go.” I scramble to my feet, hauling Ellya up with me.
A look of concentration creeps over Tav’s face, and then he frowns. “I don’t hear anyone.”
“Well, I do.” I steer him to the vent. “Go, before we get caught. We’ll talk in the morning.”
They shimmy through the vent while I secure the grate in place and then jump back on my bed. The same light illuminates my room as it sweeps the place from left to right, and I’m guessing it’s reactivating the surveillance.
I lie stiffly on the bed, waiting for the door to my room to open, but it doesn’t, and as quickly as I heard the voices, they disappear. As if they weren’t even there in the first place.
Zorc puts me through my paces again the next day, and now I am readily flying around the training room, shooting fiery lasers from my eyes and summoning firepower in my palms at will. Sergeant Green oversees the delivery of a variety of different surfaces and, one by one, I shoot fire from my eyes, slicing through each and every one—metal, brick, stone, glass and a bunch of other materials I have no clue of. Director Tanner graces me with a rare smile, patting me on the shoulder as he passes. “Excellent work, Alinthia. You are remarkable. Truly one of a kind.”
His praise is unnerving, and goose bumps sprout all over my arms.
“You can take a break, Alinthia,” Zorc instructs. “And then you need to go to the lab with Dr. Lanter for a little while. We’ll resume combat maneuvers in the late afternoon.” He moves to walk away, and I run after him.
“Hold up.” I tug on his elbow. “What does Dr. Lanter want with me?”
“She needs to run a few more tests. Don’t worry. They are standard and noninvasive.”
I fold my arms over my chest. “I don’t want to be poked and prodded. Can’t you refuse it?”
He smirks. “Surely the mighty savior isn’t afraid of a few routine tests?”
I glare at him. “No one likes to be treated like a lab rat,” I snap. “I don’t want her touching me.”
Zorc presses his mouth to my ear. “We need to be seen to cooperate, Alinthia. Do the damned tests and stop whining.”
Flames rip from my palms, and he grins at me in amusement. “Now, now, don’t do anything silly. I’m all that’s standing in the way between you and a lifetime’s incarceration. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.”
A growl gurgles in the base of my throat. “Wow. You’re just a walking, talking encyclopedia of clichés.”
“And when you snarl like that, you do a great impersonation of Dekten. It’s rather unflattering, and you really should refrain.”
I want to fireball his ass until he’s dust under my feet, but I stomp off in the direction of Dr. Lanter without retaliation. My self-control has come on in leaps and bounds, but everyone has their limits, and Zorc is presently pushing me to the edge.
“Hop up here,” Dr. Lanter says when we reach her lab, displaying the usual robotic bedside manner.
I want to fireball her ass too but, instead, I smile sweetly at her and jump up onto the bed like a good little minion. Mentally, I add her to my shit list.
I’m now wearing a standard-issue hospital gown she insisted I change into. When metal restraints lock around my chest, waist, and feet, I’m instantly suspicious. Heat wraps around my wrists and I look down. “Why have you reactivated my bands?”
“You might react instinctively to this procedure, and I don’t wish to be turned into a human fireball.”
I start wriggling under my restraints, craving freedom. I’m on high alert, and that astute inner voice, the one that tends to show up at times of stress, is urging me to break free. Pain darts up and down my arms as the Tianore bands chafe my skin. I cry out, but she ignores me, talking to her technician in a low voice.
The spectacled young man wheels a machine over to one side of the cot, positioning it at my hip level. He presses a button, and the machine whirrs to life. A thin blue line whips out of the side of the machine, drilling an imaginary hole through my body. “What is this?” I ask, as the noise from the machine accelerates, growing louder.
Routine tests, my ass.
“Hold still,” Dr. Lanter commands, pressing her hands firmly on my stomach. “This will be over much more quickly if you don’t resist.”
The blue line grows thicker, the machine grows louder, and the entire room seems to vibrate, although I could be hallucinating. A sharp stabbing pain penetrates the skin on my left hip, and a roar flees my mouth voluntarily. Excruciating pain zips up and down the left side of my body, and the smell of burning wafts in the air. I scream, over and over, as the pain intensifies, my limbs spasming in agony. Tears roll out of my eyes. The bond is going haywire, frantically thrashing about as if in sync with my pain.
“Tori?” That one word is a whisper in my mind.
“Coop!”
“Tori! Tori! What’s happening? Are you okay?” Cooper’s face flashes in my mind. I try to blank out the pain, to focus on his beautiful face, but the pain is too strong. Spots blur my vision, and my eyes roll back in my head.
“Beautiful? Can you hear me? Please, baby. Please talk to me. I can’t stand this.” Coop’s voice is fading, growing weaker as my eyes flicker open and shut.
White-hot pain penetrates bone deep, and screams rip from my very core. Dr. Lanter continues to push down on my stomach, holding me in place. “You.” Pant. “Evil.” Scream. “Bitch.”
Those are my parting words before darkness claims me.
I wake up in my room in the pitch-black. Rolling onto my side, I moan as throbbing pain radiates from my left hip.
“Drink this.” Zorc thrusts a glass of water at me, and I narrow my eyes at him. He’s sitting on a chair at the side of my bed.
“Fuck you.” My voice is hoarse from all the crying and screaming.
“I didn’t know they were going to do that. I swear.”
“What did they do? What was that?” I ask, slowly dragging myself upright in the bed. It requires mammoth effort, and I feel like I just got run over by a truck. Every bone in my body aches with tiredness, and searing hot pain in my hip reminds me that I’m in enemy territory.
It’s easy to get lulled into a false sense of security here. To think these people mean us no harm because they feed and clothe us and allow us a certain degree of independence. Bu
t, at the end of the day, I’m a prisoner. A science experiment. A research assignment. A means to an end. A pawn in a deadly political game.
I could go on, but you get the gist.
He grits his teeth. “They removed a sliver of your bone for research purposes.”
“What the actual fuck?” I glare at him. “I told you I didn’t want this.”
“She wasn’t supposed to do that. And don’t worry, they replaced the part they removed with a metal fragment so once the initial pain passes you will be back to normal.”
“Well, that makes everything fine, doesn’t it?” I snap. My eyes dart around the room as realization dawns. “Is it safe to talk in here?”
He nods. “Yes. I’ve swept the room.”
I sit up straighter, ignoring the sharp jolt of pain in my hip. “You need to get me out of here.” I clutch onto his arm. “Train me someplace else, but I can’t stay here.”
“Why do you think I enlisted Tavroc and Ellya’s help?” he soothes. “I’ve always known the humans would renege on our deal once they realized how powerful you are. They have seen some miraculous things in their time, but no one like you, and we still haven’t seen the full extent of what you are capable of. Once you awaken …” Something akin to awe ghosts over his face, but I must be mistaken. “It’s no surprise they want to try and understand your composition more.”
“I will not be their fucking guinea pig! They’ll kill me!”
“Stop being overly dramatic. It was one procedure, and it didn’t kill you.”
“You’re an asshole, and I hate you.”
“That may well be the case, but you need me, or you’re stuck in this hellhole.”
“And you need me. You’d be wise not to piss me off either, Zorc.”
He leans into my face, nostrils flaring. “We have a mutual codependency, but never forget your place, Alinthia. I’m calling the shots here, not you.”
I knot my hands in my lap, drawing an exaggerated breath, while I pray for patience that is in limited supply.
“Perhaps you need a reminder.” He projects a holo image from the device in his hand, and my breath falters.
Maddox, Beck, and Coop are in a different room this time. The room is clean, and it even has a window with a strip of bright light pouring into the small space. There are beds and a table and chairs. The guys are fully clothed, and while they are no longer chained up, they still have bands around their wrists, very similar to mine. I’m guessing their abilities have been strangled too. Although they appear to be in better condition than the last image Zorc showed me, strain and tension is evident on all their faces. Coop is pacing the room, dragging his hands relentlessly through his blond hair. It’s growing longer, and it falls freely into his eyes. I long to pull him to me. To run my fingers through the silky strands of his hair. To feel his arms wrap around me as he puts his own heartache aside to console me. I’ve no doubt, if we were sharing the same air space, that Coop would set aside his needs to be there for me. I know all of them would.
My heart soars and dips. I’m elated to see them looking well, yet heartbroken at our separation. I need to be with them. This jittery feeling in my tissues won’t subside until we’re reconnected.
“Where’s Dane,” I ask, my brow furrowing when I realize he’s missing and that the room only has three beds.
A sly look crests over Zorc’s face, and trepidation slithers through my veins. “This won’t be easy to see, but you need to know.”
Mothballs take up residence in my mouth, and I wet my dry lips. The image transforms, and all the blood drains from my face. “No!” I wail. “No way. It can’t be.”
CHAPTER 10
I stare at the holo image, and my heart ruptures behind my chest. Dane is seated in an ornate chair, alongside my archnemesis, Alandra, the real Daughter of Darkness. Her father, General Arantu, sits on the other side of her, accompanied by four stern-looking males, all adorned in gold-and-forest-green robes. They are on an elevated dais, and a small crowd occupies the peasant seats below. A line of men and women filter into the room, and one by one, they approach their leader.
I swing my eyes back to Dane, my heart thudding with pain and longing. He’s naked from the waist up, and the tattoos on his arms, one side of his neck, and his upper chest are clearly visible. His toned abs glisten like the brightest diamond, and his hair is slicked back off his face highlighting his full, pouty lips and strong jaw. Black leather pants mold to his muscular thighs, and his feet are bare. Danger and nonchalance drip from his every pore as he surveys the masses below. Alandra leans over, grabbing his chin and pulling his mouth to hers. My stomach twists into knots as he winds his fingers in her hair and kisses her as if he’s starving and she’s the only food on the planet. She trails her hands over his shoulders and down his chest, and I have never wished I could teleport as badly as I do right now. I wish I could magic myself there and rip her arms from her body. Smash my fist into her self-centered mouth and pummel my fists into her face until she stops breathing.
The extent of my emotion shocks me. I literally would kill for this guy. For any of my guys.
But no one is making Dane do this, the devil on my shoulder taunts. Unless it’s dark magic at play. “What has she done to make him do this?” I demand, fastening horrified eyes on Zorc.
“Really, Alinthia?” He pins me with a sympathetic look. “You think Alandra has to trick Dekten into this? Look at him. Does that look like the actions of a male being coerced into anything?”
I force my eyes to look one final time, instantly wishing I hadn’t. Dane and Alandra are leaving the main room via a side door. Once out in the empty hallway, she pushes him flat against the wall, thrusting her body flush against his while she devours his mouth. His eyes are closed as his hands creep under the robe she’s wearing, and pain lances me on all sides. A sob rips straight from my soul, and I look away, unwilling to bear witness to more.
Swallowing the golf-ball-sized lump in my throat, I lift my head, beseeching Zorc with my eyes. “Switch it off. I’ve seen enough.”
“I’m sorry, Alinthia. Truly I am, but you should know by now that Dekten always ensures his own interests are protected. And he’s never pursued a relationship with you, has he?” I don’t acknowledge him in any way, rolling over onto my side and curling into a fetal position.
“I hate to be the one to tell you, but Dekten doesn’t give a shit about the prophecy. He cares about himself and his brothers and no one else. How is it that Alandra managed to capture your protectors? Have you never considered how easy it was? I know you won’t believe this, but Dekten is working with her. Voluntarily. He has been this whole time.” The chair screeches as he stands up. “He made his choice back on Earth, and it wasn’t you.” His words wound me deeply. “It’s time you confronted the facts, Alinthia.”
“Get out,” I bark. “Just get out.” His words are twisting in my gut and meddling with my mind. And I know that’s exactly how he wants it.
“The truth hurts, Alinthia, but the quicker you face reality, the quicker you can get to Brint, Carpov, and Manzar. I know you care about them, as they care about you. Dekten, as you’ve seen, is a lost cause.”
He says this like it’s easy to separate them out. Like we aren’t a team. Telling me to forget about Dane is like telling me to forget I was raised as a human. My human side is as much a part of me as my Veronnian heritage. In the same way, Dane is a part of me, and I can’t just dismiss him.
Fuck Dane, and fuck Zorc for deliberately messing with my head.
“I said,” I say, through gritted teeth, “get out. Leave me alone.”
“As you wish, but at least think about what I’ve said.”
I break down the second the door locks shut behind him, sobbing and hugging myself. I know he is trying to manipulate me, but it’s hard to deny the things I’ve witnessed with my own eyes. This could be trickery, or it’s real and Dane is being coerced into it. Or it’s his warped way of protecting his brothers.
Or it’s the truth. That he believes in Alandra more than me. That he’s washed his hands of the prophecy and me, and he’s crossed to the dark side.
But I know he cares about me. He doesn’t outwardly show it. Either because he’s incapable or he believes it makes him look weak, but I’ve seen it. Felt it through our bond when he’s dropped his guard. Perhaps I’m delusional. Maybe he’s deliberately stayed away from me because he doesn’t share the same feelings as his brothers.
Ugh. I hate that I don’t know who to trust. That everyone is trying to mess with my brain.
Without a way of communicating with the guys, I have no means of knowing.
I bolt upright in the bed as the memory returns to me—when Dr. Lanter was performing the procedure on me, I could’ve sworn Coop spoke to me in my head. Did I imagine it? Was it my mind’s unique way of trying to block out the pain attacking my body? Or did my heightened stress open a line of communication.
I prop up against the headrest, closing my eyes and blanking my mind. I need to try to connect to Coop. With his unique gift of superhearing, he is my best chance of success. And, if I didn’t imagine it, he hasn’t given up trying to connect with me either. I focus my mind, racing through the myriad of connections swimming through my skull, trying to locate the right thread. I’m still at it a half hour later when glimmers of red light infiltrate my eyelids, and I open my eyes.
My movements are slower than normal as I advance to the vent once the green light has disappeared and unscrew the grate to allow Tav into my room. He’s alone tonight. “Where’s Ellya?”
“She’s asleep. They took her for testing today, and it always knocks her out.”
“Is she okay?” I inquire, dragging my body awkwardly back to the bed.
“She will be,” he replies with a deep frown. “But are you? I was worried when you didn’t show for dinner. I would’ve come earlier, but I knew Zorc was here with you.” He lowers himself to the bed carefully. “How much did it hurt?”
The Warrior Princess: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance Page 7