by E J Darling
“What?” Wilsit shook him. “How did they find you here?”
“I believe I was betrayed.” He wasn’t surprised. Not in the least. Though, the sting of it hurt all the same.
Teak looked over Wilsit’s shoulder, past Lissor and Bith. He saw the faces of six Tallek males, in official looking black uniforms, moving in the crowd. They were scanning for a Turnish no doubt, and he would be the only one they would find.
Never had he had a problem with being alone. He used to wish for it, dream about not living with hundreds of males on the same ship, day in and day out. Now, he’d kill for a partner in this. For someone to stand side by side with him and fight for his life. But he was a Turnish alone in this world, and though there were more out there, slinking around the dark shadows as he was, they were not there now.
Bith shoved him hard and broke him out of his dark thoughts. Teak stumbled back once before catching his footing. “Go,” Bith demanded. “We will do what we can to aid your escape.”
“What?”
“We do not wish to see you captured.” Lissor answered. “Besides, we haven’t gotten a chance to fight a Tallek in a while. It’s long overdue.” Lissor and Bith both smiled, looking much too happy about their possible capture and death. “Don’t worry about us. They’re in our territory.”
Both males inclined their head to Teak, who didn’t deserve any of their respect or kindness, and they both marched away side by side, ready to give the Tallek a hell of a fight.
Wilsit placed a hand on Teak’s shoulder. “Go now, Kade. Take the way you came in, it’ss ssecret enough to get you out, but don’t go home. They’ll know where your masster livess. That I’m ssure of.”
Teak inclined his head to the male who did deserve respect. “Thank you, Wilsit. I am not deserving of your kindness or theirs, but I thank you for it anyway.”
“Thank uss by getting out of here. The Tallek don’t get what they want here, and they know it. Ssomething else is going on and I can feel it in my boness.”
Teak inclined his head once more before he made his way around the pit, down the wall of alcoves on the other side, and through the crowds now too distracted by another fight to care about what was going on around them. He’d be able to slip away, and find somewhere to lay low, until he could get back to Maeve. It was possible he could pay a Human family to house him until then. It was something, at least.
Once he was sure he wasn’t being followed, Teak made for the thick metal door and turned the lock, slipping into the soft blue light of the stairwell that led him there each night. Padding up the stairs, Teak removed the rusted metal that covered the entrance and stepped into the silent darkness of the slums. No Humans, adult or child was around, and that was his first clue something was wrong.
A rustling sounded behind him, and before Teak could turn around, something hard slammed into the back of his head. The assailant didn’t make a single noise as Teak dropped to his knees, fighting the dizzy feeling. If he passed out now, he was a dead man, but he couldn’t stop his body from shutting down. Warm blood trickled down the back of his neck as his eyes went dark, and his body slumped to the ground.
Thirty-One
“Where is he?” Maeve was panting by the time she barged into Keeli’s bedroom. She waited long enough for Teak to show, but he hadn’t turned up and she was frantic.
“Where is who, Maeve?” Keeli padded towards her from the balcony. “Are you okay?”
She certainly was not. “Teak. Where is he?”
“He isn’t back yet?”
“Obviously not. You saw him leave? When?”
“Last night.” Keeli reached for her, but she pulled her hand out of the female’s pale grasp. “Don’t look at me like that. He promised to be back by the morning, Maeve. I wasn’t exactly in the right head space, nor was I strong enough to stop a full grown male from doing what he wanted to do.”
Deep down, she knew Keeli was right, but that didn’t stop the panic inside from not knowing where he was. He did always come back by morning, and because he hadn’t, only the worst things were going through her mind.
Keeli tried again to console her with soft words. “I’m sure he’s fine, really.”
Maeve wanted to believe her, but there was a place inside that said that wasn’t true. Instinctively, she knew there was something wrong. She couldn’t feel him like he told her he could, like he said their bond would do. She had last night, had felt their bond snap into place the moment it sealed them together. She never felt so happy in her entire life than that moment they bonded their lives together. But now, she felt empty.
“I need to find him.”
“How could you possibly do that?”
Maeve pulled out her electro pad and began furiously tapping the screen until she got to where she needed to be.
Keeli stepped behind her and looked over her shoulder. “What are you doing?”
“Every slave has an identification number with all our information, along with a tracking device.’ She tapped into more files and entered codes. “Any master can access their slave’s information and find them when the need arises.”
“I’d say the need has risen.”
Maeve nodded but kept working furiously. Once she got to the file, she entered her passcode. Nothing happened. “What?” She entered it again but all that appeared was a red screen. ACCESS DENIED. “No. This can’t be right.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t have access to Teak’s information. I’ve been blocked from it somehow.”
“How does that happen? Who has the power to do something like that?” Maeve stood still for a moment, staring into Keeli’s eyes. The female shook her head furiously. “No. There’s no way Zekekiel would do that.”
“Why wouldn’t he?” She’d all but given up on her master recently, and this was just one more drop in the bucket that was soon to spill over. “He does what he wishes.”
“Surely not, Maeve.” She cocked her head to the side and gave her an incredulous look. “What would he gain by taking Teak from you?”
“Control over me, over Teak. A strong healthy male at his disposal. Any number of things Keeli. He knows what Teak is capable of, and I now have no doubt in my mind he’d do anything he could to get what he wanted.”
Keeli didn’t look sold but nodded anyway. Maeve didn’t have time to convince the female her way. She needed to find Teak. Maeve spun on her heel. No longer the frantic female that came into the room, she had purpose and drive. But first, she needed to sneak into Zekekiel’s office.
“Where are you going?” Keeli yelled after her. Maeve didn’t answer, but heard footsteps coming up quickly behind her.
“Stay here, Keeli. I don’t want you getting in trouble when all this is over with.”
“I’m coming with you.” She spoke with her head raised high. “I no longer wish to be the one that sits out and stays behind. I won’t let you do this alone.”
Without a protest, they both padded down the stairs, across the empty living space, and to the hallway that held Zekekiel’s office at its crest. They hugged the wall, and Maeve searched the area. No servants were around, but her master could be anywhere at this time of morning.
She pulled her electro pad out of the deep utility pocket of her dress, and tapped away again. Zeke’s schedule was kept tight and she always had it on hand, just in case she needed to get him to sign something, or a document needed immediate attention.
Looking at the digital time on the top of the screen, his schedule had him at the council chambers for five more minutes before he left and came home to work. Plenty of time.
“I have less that ten minutes to find what I’m looking for and get out.”
“What are we looking for?”
“I am looking for anything that will tell me where Teak is. If Zekekiel has sent him away, there will be documentation. If he had him killed, there will be some for that too.”
“You really think that?”
�
��I don’t know, Keeli. I can’t feel him, but he could be too far away for me to be able.” She stopped for a moment as her heart broke. It was all too much, and her mind was convoluted with wishing and wanting. “I don’t know anything about my body right now, but I damn sure refuse to believe that the one male I love in my life is dead and gone before we could even start our life together.”
Keeli nodded in agreement. “Okay. I’ll stand watch. What do I do if the master comes home?”
Maeve snapped her head back around to Keeli, a devilish smile on her face. “I’m sure you’ll think of something.”
“Oh, no. Hell no.” Keeli shook her head furiously, her hands up in defense. “I can’t even pretend to do that.”
“Just remember all those things you said you liked about him when you were drunk. You had plenty to say about him then.”
“Drunk was the key word there, Maeve! I-I… hey wait!”
“Shh.” Maeve shushed. She was already halfway down the hall by the time Keeli noticed she wasn’t listening anymore. “I don’t have time for your insecurities right now.”
“I hate this. I hate you.”
“No, you don’t.” Maeve called out in a whisper yell. She didn’t know if anyone was around to snitch on her or not, but wasn’t about to risk it by speaking loud enough to find out.
When she got to the office door, Maeve took a deep breath and pushed it open on the exhale. She was relieved to find the bright airy office completely empty and quickly got to work. He’d taken his portable pad, but with a few touches in the right spots, the desk came to life. The screen displayed a password entry, and for a moment, Maeve cursed herself for not thinking of that before she went into Zeke’s office halfcocked.
Think Roan. What would a male like Zekekiel use as his password?
She typed in “trident”. ACCESS DENIED. She tried his name, his birthday, she even tried Roth’s name and birthday. Each time she was met with a red screen. There was one more attempt before an alert went out to his devices. He’d know immediately that someone was attempting to access his files and shut them all down. Time was running out and the odds of her knowing his password was getting smaller and smaller.
“One more chance.” The odds were slim, but it was her last hope. She held her breath and typed in her name and birthday, “MaevelinRoan543945”. She waited a moment and watched the screen turn green. “Holy shit.”
She was stunned. Why would she, of all people, be his password? If she had any time to think about it now, she would, but the clock was ticking. Two minutes, if she were lucky, and he’d be on his way home. The council chambers weren’t far, and the transport could get him there in record time if fate wasn’t on her side. Which it rarely was.
She tapped away, searching Teak’s name in all his personal files. There was no documentation of his death and Maeve could finally breathe. But, that didn’t mean he wasn’t dead somewhere, it just meant Zekekiel hadn’t ordered it. She looked further and found something that caused a lump to form in her throat. It was dated for two days ago. A signed document with her forged signature, signing Teakin Kade over to one Zekekiel Vint.
“You fucking asshole.” She grit her teeth. He was the monster she feared him to be and now she had the proof to show it.
More documents popped up. An arrest warrant from Galactic Force was the one that shocked her more. Murder. “No. No. No.” Maeve’s body shook as she stepped back from the desk, not able to take any more of it, but her rage grew inside, instantly overpowering whatever shock she’d just been dealt.
She wanted to know more.
Stepping closer to the screen, Maeve continued to read. “Wanted for three murders on the station Hydron-5. Two Forga females and one male. The Turnish slave is suspected of murdering the three after a sex party gone wrong.” Instantly, Maeve deduced exactly what happened. They’d threatened him, her, and Keeli. Then, they thought they would be able to do whatever the hell they’d wanted with him. Maeve’s temper cooled. They got what they deserved, and she was glad it was him that’d done it. They would have killed him without a second thought and no report would have been made about them. She was sure of that.
A thought crossed her mind. If Zekekiel had that information, why hadn’t he alerted the forces? Why was he allowing Teak to stay if he was suspected of murder? She didn’t have the answers, but voices came down the hallway. She needed to find Teak, and so far, all she’d gotten was more questions about her master and the workings going on there.
The voices got closer, but she heard Keeli talking smoothly down the hall. Time was running out faster than she could manage. One more search is all she had. She typed in the last tiny bit of information, The Human Problem, and snapped a photo on her own pad as quickly as she could.
Keeli’s heart hammered in her chest as the transport holding Zekekiel hummed to a stop near the front step. She didn’t think she could do it, but needed to give Maeve all the time she could before her master found her inside his office.
Stepping to the front door, Keeli opened it when he got close. “Hello, Sir!” Zekekiel stopped mid stair and nearly fell back before correcting himself. She knew she’d over done it, she always over did it.
“Hello, Keeli. Please, you know to call me Zekekiel, or Zeke if you prefer.” He cleared his throat, seeming to feel uncomfortable, and fumbling with his words. She could relate. He topped the front step, but she didn’t move her body, blocking his entrance. “Is there something you needed?”
“Uhm.” She didn’t know how to lie, and felt like honesty on a different topic would serve her well. “I wanted to apologize for what you overheard yesterday.”
Zeke smiled, but hid it quickly, and cleared his throat again. “Well, let’s call it even for that unfortunate incident you saw. I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to talk to you yesterday as planned. I got distracted.”
“It’s okay. I understand.”
“You understand?”
“Teak spoke to me. He–”
“Of course he did.” He cut her off. “He must know all the right words to quell a heart. Well, then I’m glad that’s cleared up. Please, step aside so I can get back to work. I have much to do and I’ve already had a day with the council.”
“Sir?” she rushed out, but moved aside as he requested. She couldn’t just leave him outside his own home.
Zeke walked with purpose towards his office, never looking back. He’d gone from nervous to shut down all too quickly, and she didn’t have time to emotionally catch up from the slap to the face. They both knew why she was there, but he didn’t seem to care one way or the other. “What is it?”
She was beginning to feel desperate and decided to take a plunge that might halt his progress to the office. “Those things I said. I meant them.”
Zeke stopped in his tracks, his back still turned to her, but his head rose. Hope filled her, but so did anxiety. How would he respond to that, to her? She’d never bared herself like that before, but it was out in the open and he’d heard it. There was no going back.
“Even after what I saw you do, Zeke. I still meant it. I’m not a hollow body with a soft mind like most may think. I’ve been through more things than you can imagine, and I still have a smile on my face most of the time. I know why I’m here. You bought me for a reason. I was grateful to just be out of that place and off Slave Row, but that isn’t why I’m grateful now. I see you.”
He didn’t say a word, but he didn’t walk away either. There was no telling what was going on in his mind but something deep down inside her wanted to know. She wanted to know what a male of her species thought of her, because from what she’d seen of her master, she wanted more than her eyes on him.
Zeke was quiet and kept to himself. That told her he was lonely and broken in some tiny way that cut him off. Soon, if her information was correct, he was going to go down a deep hole with only one way out. She was his rope and he needed to let her in before that happened. One day, Keeli Mayke was going to be the keeper of
Zekekiel Vint. His life, his mind, his everything would rest in her hands. She would care for it delicately if only he’d let her.
“Keeli?”
“Yes?”
Silence stretched and Keeli found herself stepping closer to the male who now refused to look at her. He didn’t move, and once she was close enough, she reached a hand out to touch his shoulder. He was rigid and seemed uncomfortable.
“I can help you. Let me help you.” She’d forgotten why she was out there in the first place. It was to keep him occupied, to keep him out of his office, but it’d turned into something else so suddenly.
“I don’t need help,” he ground out before stepping out of her reach and down the long hallway.
She stood stuck in place, more distant now than she had been before she bared herself to him. “Not yet.” She swallowed down the lump in her throat. “But you will.”
The moment he disappeared into his office and silence filled the air, Keeli was confident Maeve had found her way out of the office. She’d done her job. Now, she was going to go back to her room, drink herself into a stupor, and wonder how someone like Zekekiel Vint could see a used up slave like her for what she truly was.
She was more than her past, more than the sins forced upon her. She had a story to tell and wore her pain with a smile. That was more than she could have ever hoped for in her life. A smile told a different story. One of survival. One of perseverance. One that told everyone that saw her she was better than another being’s sins. One day he’d see her. Until then, she’d smile for different reasons.
Thirty-Two
Maeve crept slowly through the dark, dingy neighborhood of Purabora she’d never been before. It was desolate, a stark contrast to what she normally saw of the city. This was nothing like the port area. Zeke was right, there was a Human problem, and she was beginning to see what that problem truly was.
