by Avery Rae
That didn't make the way Rylos had told me any better. I was furious that he'd brought me in there and sprung it on me like that, in front of all those awful Korysti. Was he teaching me a lesson? Did he actually think that was a wise idea? I was thankful that the other senators had been just as mad as I was. Even if it was for entirely different reasons.
Rylos and I didn't exchange words as we got out of the car. I strode ahead of him with quick steps, wanting to put as much distance between us as possible. I rushed past the guards and through the front doors. I was about to go straight to my room when the front door to Rylos's little palace slammed shut behind me.
"Stop, pet."
I winced, my feet stopping on their own accord. The Korysti liked to praise themselves for not being violent, but anyone who protests that much is worthy of suspicion. I wouldn't put it past them to hurt a human.
As for Rylos? I couldn't be sure. He was hot and cold from one second to the next. Unpredictable. I tensed as he positioned himself behind me. Although he wasn't touching me, there was something almost tangible in the small space between us. Something electric that sent a shiver down my spine.
"Are your kind wholly unable to see reason?" His voice was low and tense with fury.
Pushing my fear aside, I whirled around to face him. "What reason was I supposed to see? You brought me there to teach me some sort of lesson, didn't you? To prove to me that it's okay your people have treated us so terribly?"
He ran a hand along his jaw and chuckled. "You think that was my purpose?"
"What else could it have been? You wanted me to feel bad."
His expression hardened. "No, pet, I've only wanted the best for you from the very beginning."
I couldn't stifle my laughter. "Is this some weird Korysti sense of humor, or . . .?"
He touched a cool hand to my cheek, flushed warm with my anger. I jerked my head to the side and he gripped my chin, forcing my focus back to him.
"I'm the best thing that's ever happened to you, pet." His grip softened, then he brushed his fingers underneath my chin and up along the line of my jaw. "You'll realize that someday."
"You keep on saying that like it'll make it true. Keep trying, Rylos. Someday you'll realize it's never going to happen." Despite the venom in my voice and the fury in my expression, Rylos didn't move his hand.
The hard lines in his face disappeared as he studied me. His hand dropped to my neck, then my exposed collarbone. His touch was so light that I unconsciously eased into the feeling, wanting more even if it wasn't in my best interest. Even if I was angry. It just felt so good.
"You like it when I touch you, don't you?"
"No," I replied, the tremble in my voice revealing my lie.
I stood completely still as he flattened his palm against my collarbone, then slid it up to the back of my neck. "Then tell me to stop, pet, and I will."
Rylos's fingertips brushed softly over my skin in small semi-circles, sending a tingle down my spine, jolting my lower back. Tell him, Marion. Tell him to stop. I was supposed to remember what he had done to me. What he was doing to me. Keeping me as property. Calling me pet. I should be furious. Pushing him away. And yet, I faltered. All my righteous fury, which I'd managed to hold onto for over a year, was breaking down and failing me so quickly. Why?
I slowly lifted my eyes to look at Rylos. The moment our eyes met, he dipped his head down. My lips parted slightly as he drew closer, eyes never leaving mine. His lips were close—so close I could almost feel them on mine. I could imagine how it would feel. It'd been so long, and he was so achingly beautiful. One kiss couldn't hurt, right?
I let my eyes fall shut. I moved forward a fraction of an inch. His lips just barely brushed mine. Marion, my own voice yelled sharply in my mind. I snapped my head to the side and whispered on a shaky breath. "Stop."
The air around me grew cold in an instant. Retreating footsteps were his only reply. Rylos was gone. I shouldn't have felt half as conflicted about that fact as I did. Why did I care? I was out of the lab. I had a real chance of escaping.
But some part of me couldn't stop asking the same, infuriating question. What happens when you get out? The truth was that I didn't know, and that scared me. Maybe I was better off with the evil I knew, the evil that listened when I said no, rather than risking it all by rushing out into the unknown.
I hugged my arms around myself and let out a quiet curse. What was wrong with me? I'd nearly let him kiss me. I was entertaining staying with someone who called me his pet. When did I get so weak? This stops now. Fortifying myself, I spun around in the foyer, eyeing the glowing plants that lit it with disdain. Screw Korystus and everything on it. I was getting off this rock one way or another.
My thoughts turned frantic. I wanted to run. Now. If I hesitated a second longer, there was no telling what sort of stupidity I'd cave to next. Although, I wasn't sure how much lower I could get than nearly letting my captor kiss me. But, even as I eyed the front door, I knew I couldn't run. Not yet. Because there was one catch.
I glared down at the pearlescent bracelet locked around my wrist. I gave it a tug as if this time it would magically break away. I made a small, frustrated noise in the back of my throat. I didn't know what I was going to do about this stupid thing. I was going to have to figure out how it worked, and fast. Before I did something I would regret.
Despite my frustration, I knew I had time. Time to do this properly. I had felt like I was fighting to survive every single day at the lab, and I'd screwed my escape more than once because I was in a rush. Not being under siege by handsy guards every single day certainly made it easier. I would take this slow. Learn more about this cursed bracelet. And then, when Rylos least expected it, I would be gone. Hopefully stowed away on some diplomat's ship, off to a life of freedom in the great, wide universe. Somewhere I could get help for my fellow humans. If such a place existed.
Nobody was watching me now, I realized, so it was the perfect time for me to get the layout of my current prison. I'd never had such a great opportunity at the lab. I knew that my room was down the hallway to the left. But there was one to the right that I had never been down. So I walked that way.
I wasn't sure what I expected, but it was still so weird to me when I saw how similar the Korysti were to humans. I first made my way into a dining room. It had the same light blue walls as the rest of the house I'd seen so far, accented by the glowing blue plants that gave it light, trailing along the walls and up to the ceiling. The ivory colored table was set, as if expecting company that never arrived. Beautiful, shimmering plates and those chopstick-looking things that the Korysti ate with.
I looked from side to side, then darted forward and snagged a pair. I couldn't believe he just left them sitting out. I tucked them inside the waist of my silly outfit. Those might be helpful later. They certainly wouldn't get this stupid bracelet off. I sighed and continued onward.
Beyond the dining room was, unsurprisingly, a kitchen. Beyond that was a large lounge, then a wing of bedrooms where I could hear the distinct murmur of voices, male and female. I realized with a jolt this must be where the maids and guards stayed. The last thing I wanted was to get caught snooping.
I crept away as quickly as I could, back all the way through the dining room and into the foyer. From there, I ventured down the hallway and past my room. I paused at the door just beyond mine. Was this the room my room was connected to? The one with the locked door? I touched the little pad near the door. It didn't open. Was this one locked too? I touched it again. Nothing happened. Maybe this is where Rylos went?
I shrugged and moved down the hallway, closer to a room that had a strong blue glow coming from a crack in the door. I slowly approached it and peeked inside. From my limited point of view, I saw Rylos sitting at a white table, gazing down at a tablet.
There was a faint furrow between his brows as he typed furiously at the screen. After a moment, he sighed and pushed it aside, burying his face in his hands. Curiosity gnawed at
me as I watched him. Rylos suddenly looked up, his eyes meeting mine through the crack. I quietly stared back.
"There's no need to stand out there. Come inside."
I hesitated for a moment, looking down the hallway. There was still more for me to explore. But then again, I also still had to figure out a way to get this bracelet off. Against my inner dialogue, which screamed at me for being so obedient, I pushed the door open the rest of the way and stood in the entrance.
"Getting a mental map of my place?" Rylos asked.
"Yes."
"I'm surprised it's taken you this long."
My pulse quickened. Why was I in here talking to him? I had more of the house to explore. I should leave. But I didn't.
"Who's to say I haven't already and I'm just lying to put you off guard?"
I stepped inside the room, trailing my fingers along the bare white wall. The whole room was surprisingly . . . bare. There was a large window, a clean white table with a single chair, which was where Rylos sat.
"The fact that you're still here says that much."
"Maybe I just wanted to come say goodbye."
"Somehow I doubt that."
He leaned back in his chair, studying me as I paced the outer edge of the room. Still dressed in that revealing work outfit, I got a good look at his bare chest before I forced my eyes away. This desperation of mine was starting to get on my nerves. The first Korysti to only treat me a little bit poorly and I couldn't stop eyeing him no matter how much he infuriated me.
"What do you plan on doing with those, pet?" Rylos asked, voice quiet.
I followed his line of sight and saw he was pointedly staring at the chopsticks tucked against my waist. They had slid against the silky fabric and were poking out, starkly contrasted against the skin of my stomach.
I placed a hand over them and shot him a glare. "Take them from me, I dare you."
He tilted his head to the side with a faint smile. "By all means, if they make you feel safer, then keep them."
My brows pulled together. Who is this guy, and does he not care about his safety? At all?
I resumed walking the length of the room once more, focusing anywhere but Rylos. My fingers, still touching the wall, caught upon a small indentation. A screen, not unlike the ones I'd seen all over Korystus. As my fingers brushed over it, the screen woke, Korysti characters appearing on the screen, and, curious, I touched one of them. I stumbled backward as the walls began to glow alternating colors. Pink. Blue. Purple. The table was glowing as well.
"What did I do?" I whispered in confusion.
Rylos chuckled. "You woke the library."
"I woke the . . . what?"
"The library. Is that word not in your dictionary? It's a place where knowledge can be gained through—"
"Rylos." I gave him a flat look. "I know what a library is."
He stared at me for a moment. He did that a lot. Staring until I fidgeted. It was highly effective.
"I like it when you say my name."
I lifted a brow. "Not going to get mad at me for not calling you Senator?"
"Not at this moment."
"How nice of you."
"I agree."
It was difficult to resist saying something biting in reply. The only thing that stopped me was that this was the most productive conversation we'd had yet. I would be a fool to ruin that if I wanted to earn his trust and eventually get out of here. I wasn't exactly immune to saying stupid things when angry, so it was in my best interest to cool my jets when I was conscious of it.
Rylos slid his chair back and patted his bare thigh. "Come, pet. Let me show you how it works."
I ground my back teeth together, fists clenching at my sides. I told myself to just calm down and humor him. It would be a step toward freedom.
"I'll show you how to use it," he said. "Then you can come in here whenever you would like."
"There's one problem with that. I can't read your language."
He gave me a small, secretive smile. "I can make arrangements."
That caught my attention. A library could be very useful to me. I could research nearby planets and see which one I should aim for when I escaped. I crossed the room and stood in front of him. The glimmer in his eyes alone told me he was enjoying this. I hoped he did. Because that was all he was getting out whatever cash he dumped on purchasing me. I would be gone before he knew it.
I took a deep breath, exhaled, then turned and sat on the edge of his knee. His body shook as he chuckled, but he did nothing more. He reached around me and picked up the tablet. It looked exactly like the one he had used at his meeting. The one where he tried to make a fool out of you, I reminded myself.
"What is this? Some sort of all-purpose device?"
He leaned forward to touch at the screen. "Yes. I believe we found similar devices in your wreckage. Everything can be controlled using them. They give you access to our information network as well."
"Yeah, we had the internet, too."
"I'm not familiar with an internet, but that's good to hear you had something similar. It should be quite easy for you to learn to use. Aside from the fact that you can't read our language. I'm still shocked they didn't bother teaching you."
I looked at him from over my shoulder. "You really think they'd bother?"
"Well, yes." To his credit, he looked genuinely shocked.
"Think again," I said as I turned back around.
Rylos cleared his throat. "Anyway, it's simple to use. If you touch this button here," he pointed to a set of symbols, "that will activate the library. You can either read from your tablet using this button, or use this here to read on the table, and this one here will allow you to project things onto the walls. Every surface in here can be used to read or watch anything from the library."
"You don't keep any physical copies?"
"No, everything is stored in the network."
I deflated slightly. Everything was so similar here that I expected them to have books, for some reason. I missed the library. Even our ship had one. Thankfully. Because things can get boring when you're floating in space for a decade. It was one of my favorite smells, only second to the warm, metallic smell of the engine room.
"Does this disappoint you somehow?" he asked, voice quiet.
"It's just . . . different."
"I'd think you'd be used to that by now."
I looked over my shoulder again. "Really? Do you think that anyone can just get used to something like this? Losing everything familiar to you? Being made treated like property? After you've been free your entire life? To just have your personhood stripped from you?"
"That was never our intent."
"What was your intent then?"
"I'm—I'm not certain anymore."
"Some senator you are."
I started to stand up but Rylos slid an arm around my waist and jerked me back against him, flush against his chest.
"I'm trying to make it better, pet."
"And here I thought you were just trying to have sex with an exotic human."
He brought his lips close to my ear. His breath was warm on the side of my neck, so warm that I couldn't help but squirm slightly in his lap. He tightened his arm around me and said, "That's simply an unexpected bonus."
I turned my head to the side and found his lips waiting. His lips captured mine in a searing kiss as his hand slid inside the silky fabric covering my stomach, brushing over my skin in a way that made me want to moan. Instead, I tore my lips away.
I touched my fingers to my lips, eyes wide. How had we gotten here? It was only a matter of hours ago that we were at each other's throats. He was telling me my people killed his. Why was I kissing him? I pulled against him and he immediately let me go.
I turned around, head shaking, and pointed a finger at him. "You're just as bad as the Adrax."
He stared up at me from his seat, eyelids heavy with desire. "Don't act like you don't want me just as bad, pet."
My heavy breaths and
flushed cheeks spoke volumes, but I still bared my teeth and said, "I don't."
I fled from the library straight to my room. I slammed my hand against the screen outside of it until it opened, then raced inside and slammed the door shut. As I slid down against it, my heart pounding like crazy, I brought my fingers to my swollen lips and closed my eyes. I hadn't wanted that kiss to end, and that terrified me.
With a jolt of realization, I remembered his hand slipping underneath my clothes. My chopsticks. I slapped a hand to my waist and found that they were still there, only shifted to the side, so I couldn't feel them pressing into me. He didn't take them. Why? Why would he leave them there when I was so easily distracted? Maybe it's because he knows he could just as easily do it again. Even worse, I thought that he could, too.
6
After a fitful sleep, I woke late the next morning to find a surprise waiting on my nightstand. I sat up in bed and tucked my legs beneath me. I rubbed at my eyes as I stared at the light blue box. Obviously it was from Rylos. I wasn't sure when he would've had the chance to sneak in and put it there. The bags underneath my eyes were so heavy that I felt like I hadn't slept even a wink.
The only other person who seemed to tolerate me around here was Kastia, and I doubted she was in the business of buying presents for humans. But, in the same vein, why would Rylos even bother giving me a present after the night before? Maybe there were packing orders inside, telling me where I could shove my human sensibilities on the way out.
Might as well find out. I pulled the box into my lap and lifted the lid with both hands. Inside there was a tablet and a handwritten note. In the Korysti language. I stared down at the indecipherable symbols with a flat look. He knew that I couldn't read it. Was this some sort of joke? My expression hardened the more I gave it thought. Another reminder that I was somehow lesser and deserved to be nothing more than a pet?
