by Lisa Lace
Bethany wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the message, but Lizzy gave it to her anyway.
“He says he’s gone to the king to sort all this out. He’s going to arrange transport home for you when he gets back on Thursday.”
“Thursday?”
“The king lives two cities over, Klowix will have to take an overnight hover to get there.”
“He’s – he’s gone?”
Lizzy’s voice was suddenly very soft. “Why didn’t you tell us? I thought we were your friends.”
Tears began to escape Bethany’s eyes again. “You are, I swear you are. I couldn’t tell anyone, they would have killed my parents.”
“The slavers?”
Bethany nodded.
“Oh Bethany, you could have gone home. Didn’t you know that? You never had to be here against your will. You could have just asked to go home, you didn’t even need to mention the slavers.”
Bethany choked on a hiccup and Lizzy patted her on the back.
“By the time I found that out, I didn’t want to go back. I’ve been here of my own accord for a while now.”
“Then why didn’t you tell Klowix that? He’s really upset about all this…”
“I tried! I tried to tell him, but he didn’t want to listen to me. He was so angry.”
The sounds of Bethany’s crying must have alerted the rest of the household, because suddenly Snia was on her left and Ruth was on her right. They pulled her to her feet and helped her to the lounge. There was a plate of reni on the table. Bethany grabbed a piece and ate hungrily.
Anna did her best to encourage her. “That’s ok, then. You can just explain it to him when he gets back. That’s what he’s really upset about, thinking that you were deceiving him about the way you felt about him.”
“Will he ever forgive me, though? For not telling him? He’s right, maybe at the beginning I couldn’t say anything, but once I got to know him… I knew he wouldn’t let my parents die. I could have told him.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“I was afraid he’d think the things he’s thinking right now – that this thing between us isn’t real.”
Beoli soothed her. “He’ll understand.”
Bethany choked on a hysterical laugh. “Klowix, understand? Are we talking about the same person?”
Trili was firm now. “Enough of this. Clearly this can’t wait a few days until Klowix gets back. We’ll just call him, and Bethany can explain.”
“You think he’ll take my call?” Bethany couldn’t be sure.
Trili nodded. “He’ll take mine. I’ll get him talking to you, you have my word on that. The rest is up to you.”
The others were nodding. Klowix listened to Trili; they were good friends.
Bethany agreed, but she wasn’t sure she was ready to talk to Klowix, and she didn’t think she could deal with the miserable weight of guilt in her stomach much longer. She coughed and took a sip of water, feeling like it was getting hard to breathe.
“You ok?”
Bethany nodded. “I’m fine, just nervous.” She really needed to get these anxiety-related breathing problems under control.
Snia held Bethany’s hand while Trili dialed Klowix’s T-screen. When his face appeared, Bethany shrank back, so that he couldn’t see her.
“Trili. Is everything ok? Is Bethany out of her room yet?”
“Commander, everything is not ok. Klowix, I need you to listen. Please, promise me you will listen.”
“I promise. What is it?” His voice was sharp, and Bethany could imagine his eyes moving quickly between Trili and the others.
Trili handed the screen over to Bethany, who took it with a shaking hand. “Klowix?”
She expected his face to twist in rage, but instead, he sat up straighter and looked her straight in the eye, seemingly calm.
“I owe you an apology. Untri was my agent acting on my behalf, and he colluded with slavers. You should know that this was never my intention. I will make arrangements to have you sent home at once. You can –”
She interrupted him, to the surprise of the other girls. “Klowix, stop. You need to listen to me, all right? Yes, I was captured by slavers. I didn’t want to be here. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want my family killed. That was the beginning, though.
“Of course, I knew, after a few weeks here, that you’d protect them if I asked. I knew I could leave without ever having to reveal the way I got here. I stayed by choice. Do you understand? I stayed with you because I wanted to.”
“You don’t need to say that. I’ll see you safely home, and see that your parents are protected, I promise.”
“No! Klowix, look at me. I am telling you the truth. I don’t want to go back. You need to understand that. I. Want. To. Stay. With. You.”
“You – you really want to stay?”
Bethany nodded emphatically, relieved that he was finally getting the point. “Yes. Now will you please come home so we can talk about this?”
“Home?”
“Commander, I know you’re upset, but please just come back. Yes, home. Here, where I am. Home.”
Klowix hesitated. “I’m on my way. I’ll be there soon.”
Bethany sighed in relief as they hung up.
“Thanks, Trili.” She was suddenly exhausted. “Can we open a window? It’s really stuffy in here.”
Anna gave her a quizzical look, but opened the window anyway. Maybe they didn’t feel it, but Bethany was sure the air was getting thinner in here; no doubt no one had opened a window or door since Klowix left.
There was a knock on the door. For one wild moment, Bethany hoped it was Klowix, back already. Instead, Culip let in the same doctor who had helped Bethany after the first sharing.
“Bethany, Klowix called me a few hours ago, said I should come check on you when I could? He said you may be in shock or otherwise in distress. What happened?”
“Nothing, I’m fine. I don’t know your name, though.”
“I’m Doctor Yie. Sit down, let me look at you. You don’t look so good.”
Bethany leaned back and tried to breathe deeply. “I’m all right, I think I’m developing an anxiety problem, though.”
“Anxiety would be similar to shock, that makes sense. What are your symptoms?”
“Just more of the same, feeling like I can’t breathe. It happened the second time after the sharing, but not like the first. Klowix explained it was just because I was worried about it. I guess I’m still stressed now, so it’s causing problems.”
“Quite possibly. Where is Klowix? It may good to have him sit with you until you’re feeling better.”
Snia spoke up. “We can sit with her. Klowix is miles away, though he’s on his way back now.”
Doctor Yie froze. “When you say miles away, you mean not more than a short drive via pod, don’t you?”
Bethany didn’t know what his problem was, but she had a more urgent problem. It was really getting hard to breathe. She wondered if she needed an oxygen mask or something.
“Doctor, I’m struggling to breathe.” Her voice was faint now.
“Of course you’re – Klowix is out of the city?”
“Yes, but why does that make a –?”
“Call an ambulance, and get Klowix back here now! You can’t separate humans with a bad reaction to the sharing from the person they had it with, not for at least two months, or it brings back the symptoms! I thought Klowix knew that.”
Bethany wasn’t keeping track of the conversation. She was rapidly panicking and clutched Snia’s arm.
“Can’t… breathe…” she gasped.
“Doctor, do something!”
Bethany felt herself falling backward onto the couch. The terror of not getting enough oxygen overwhelmed her, and she thrashed frantically, desperate just to breathe.
Something plastic was pushed in her face, but if it was an oxygen mask, she couldn’t tell, because her throat was completely closed.
There was a confused
impression of running and shouting people around her, but Bethany couldn’t make anyone out clearly. She wished Klowix was here. If she was going to die, she at least wanted to see him again.
What a stupid thing – some silly rule neither of them knew about. No matter how mad Klowix was, he never would have left if he’d known he was putting her in danger. They just didn’t know, and now she was dying because of it.
Her hand groped for something to hold onto, and another hand found hers. She clutched tightly to it.
A voice spoke in her ear. “You’re going to be ok. I promise, we’ll make sure you’re ok.”
Her chest hurt so badly. Bethany just wanted it to stop. If only it would stop…
Chapter Nine
Bethany opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Klowix sitting on a chair next to her. He was talking on his T-screen to someone, and his eyes flicked up when he saw Bethany was awake. Without saying anything, he got up and walked out, blurring and speeding away so fast that her eyes couldn’t follow him.
Bethany’s heart sank. He was still mad, she knew it. Klowix came back a few seconds later, though, followed by Dr. Yie, who asked how she was feeling.
Bethany did a quick mental inventory of her body. “Good, actually. I mean, I’m tired, but otherwise I feel fine.”
Dr. Yie nodded and addressed Klowix. “As I said, having you in physical proximity for another few days will help.”
“When will we be able to separate safely? I still need to send her home.” Klowix spoke directly to the doctor and did not look at Bethany.
“Two weeks, maybe three. Of course, we’ll test her first to make sure everything is ok.”
“Is there anything else I should know about the sharing?” Klowix frowned at Dr. Yie, who wrung his hands and didn’t meet his eyes.
“No, Commander, nothing. I assure if I had realized you didn’t know, I would have…”
Klowix brushed him off. “Dismissed, doctor.”
He sat down next to Bethany again and put a hand over hers. For a moment, she thought he was making a tender gesture, but she gasped as she felt the familiar pleasure tingle through her. She noticed that Klowix had what she could only describe as a bracelet on under his uniform, but she couldn’t focus on it for long; she was too busy moaning in bliss.
When Klowix was done, his face was flushed, and Bethany felt weak and limp. She should let him send her home. Could her heart keep beating? Could her lungs keep inflating with him taking more and more from her? Even though it felt so good, she should tell him to let her go.
She opened her mouth to do so, but different words came out. “I don’t want to go back. I want to stay here.”
Klowix frowned at her. “You were brought here illegally and against your will.”
Bethany restrained herself from rolling her eyes. What was it with Evions? Talk about persistence; how many times would she have to tell him she wanted to stay before he got over the illegal disaster that brought her here? She wondered if he’d make her beg. She found the thought strangely sexy.
“Please, Commander, I want to stay. Yes, I was brought here against my will, but now I’m here because I want to be. Let me stay?”
Klowix considered her. “Very well. Now, sleep.”
Bethany didn’t want to sleep, but she obediently closed her eyes, wondering if he would watch her while she slept. The doctor had said he needed to stay close. She liked the sound of that.
“Come.”
Bethany grimaced. “Commander, I’m still really tired.”
Klowix held out his hand and raised his eyebrows. Bethany reluctantly took it and let him lead her to the dining room.
“The doctor says you must not lie in bed, or your strength may fade. You need to keep active. After breakfast, we will go for a walk.”
Bethany stumbled, and Klowix grabbed her elbow to stop her falling on her face.
He may have read the alarm in her expression. “Not in the hover. We will walk. You must regain your strength.”
Bethany much preferred the idea of being locked in the bedroom with him, but didn’t say anything.
The others gathered around Bethany when they saw her.
Snia pulled her into a hug. “We were so worried. Are you ok?”
“I’m fine.” For now, she added in her head. Would she even survive the next sharing?
She snuck glances at Klowix as he ate in silence, which was unusual for him. He usually made an effort to make conversation. Before breakfast was half done, his T-screen began vibrating. He glanced at it before getting up and swiftly going to his room, closing the door behind him.
Lizzy didn’t look up. “The king.”
“What?” Bethany choked on her glass of water. “The king calls him personally?”
“Oh yes, every now and again. He is the commander of all the forces on Telion, after all.”
“I didn’t know that. I thought it was just in the area or something.”
She looked at Klowix’s closed door, imagining him commanding a planet’s worth of soldiers.
“Anyway, he’ll be in there for at least an hour. Conversations with the king are never short. Your walk may need to wait.”
Relief swam through Bethany as she leaned back against her chair. At least an hour – she’d be safe for at least an hour.
“Let’s do some shopping.” If she had one guaranteed hour of life, she wasn’t going to waste it. Who knew what would happen next?
Culip happily produced a T-screen out of nowhere. “Now that’s what I’m talking about. Let’s see, Bethany still needs some more going outside clothes…”
“Speaking of shopping, when did Klowix start wearing a bracelet?”
Beoli laughed. “He bought that the day after you two first did the sharing. I thought he was going to give it to you, but I guess he decided he liked it.”
Bethany laughed too. She couldn’t imagine anything less Klowix-like than wearing jewelry; she supposed there was still a lot she didn’t know about him.
The hour flew by, and soon Klowix was back, holding his arm out for Bethany to take. By then, the others had her dressed in what counted as “appropriate” for Evions; she found she missed the silk dresses, having gotten so used to them over the past few weeks.
She eyed Klowix’s hand, and sure enough, he brought it up to grip the back of her neck, gently but firmly. Bethany’s eyes slipped closed and she fell back against his chest. She could feel Klowix’s heart beating behind her.
When she opened her eyes, no one was looking at her, seemingly embarrassed, as though catching her in the act of sex. She guessed they were, in a way, and she blushed.
“Come on.” Klowix gestured to Trili, who took Bethany’s hand. The rush of essence coming into her rather than going out was becoming familiar, but it didn’t turn her on the way it did when it was Klowix touching her.
She still felt a bit shaky as Klowix led her outside. There was a path going around the city, though there were few people using it – almost everyone was in a hover. Klowix steered Bethany along, taking her past some of the greener areas of the city. Bethany was amazed at how tall the trees got on Telion. They seemed to be touching the sky.
As much as she was enjoying the walk, Bethany stumbled to a halt. “I’m tired again.” She began to think longingly of her bed.
“Come.” Klowix didn’t give her a chance to protest before he took her in his arms and moved so fast it made Bethany’s head spin. The world flew by them, and a second later, Bethany was sitting on a bench in completely unfamiliar surroundings.
She looked at him. “I’m getting used to that.”
“That is good to know.”
They sat in silence for a while, Bethany watching the few other people on the path go by. Mostly, the Evions looked human, except for when they did those flashes of super-fast movement. Bethany realized that she hadn’t been outside properly since she was taken, and she missed it.
“Ok, I’m ready.” She stood up, but Klowix gestured h
er back down.
Bethany hid a smile and waited for his command before setting off again, suddenly enjoying her walk a lot more.
After a while, Klowix told her they were heading back. They passed a woman with her hair in a high bun, who glared hotly at Bethany as they passed. Bethany took half a step back, alarmed at the venom in the woman’s expression.
Klowix’s brow drew down in a frown and he pushed Bethany slightly behind him and turned to face the woman.
His voice boomed at the woman. “Is there something you’d like to say?”
The woman paled a bit, but held her head high. “I have nothing to say to Evions who disgrace our heritage.”
Klowix seemed to expand as his expression darkened. “Well, if that’s the case, maybe you’ll have something to say to the magistrate. Such talk is banned on Telion, which means you’ve just committed a crime.”
Bethany didn’t know what was going on, but she was transfixed by Klowix. He looked like a great predator, preparing to spring on its prey.
“Who do you think you –?”
“Commander Klowix of the fifth division.”
“Forgive me, Commander, I didn’t know…”
“Didn’t know who you were speaking to? Well, perhaps that’s for the best, if you would have veiled your true thoughts to one who would call you to account for them.”
Klowix took a small device out of his pocket, about half the size of a T-screen. By this time, a crowd had started to form around them. Klowix typed something on the screen, and turned his glare back to the woman.
“Your name, citizen.”
“Unili of the seventh citizen’s division, sir.” Her voice was suddenly very small, and she was clearly regretting her rash comment very seriously.
Bethany heard a loud wailing coming closer and closer. It sounded like someone being tortured, but when it got closer, she saw that it was a hover. Men leapt down and bound Unili with what looked like glowing ropes of light. They bundled her into the hover, after saluting to Klowix.
Klowix addressed the group around them. “Anyone else?”
They all turned away hurriedly, but Bethany noticed that some of them looked angry and resentful, as though they agreed with Unili, but wouldn’t say so in front of Klowix.
