Senator's Pet

by Avery Rae

  My hands tightened as the war continued to rage inside me. I wanted him so badly it hurt but I knew it was wrong. Completely, absolutely wrong. No matter how hard I seemed to be trying to convince myself otherwise. Would I even be able to live with myself afterward? Another thought, one that was much more tempting, followed in right after it. Would it even be that bad? It didn't make a difference, did it? It was just sex. But that wasn't true. It wasn't that simple. It could never be that simple. Not with things as they were.

  Disappointment weighed down upon me, making my movements dull and labored, as I pulled my lips from his. Rylos was undeterred. His lips found their way to the edge of my jaw, down to my neck and shoulders, pressing electric kisses all over my skin.

  I let out a soft, shaky moan as I dug my fingers into his shoulders, my hips rolling against him like they had a mind of their own. "I feel like I keep telling myself just one more kiss and I'll be able to stop."

  "Then why haven't you?" Rylos asked, his lips brushing over the dip where my shoulder and my neck met. I shivered and bit down on my lip, willing my body to calm down.

  "I don't know," I whispered breathlessly. "I really don't know."

  He lifted his head to look at me, blinking slowly as he stared at me. A slow, sad smile worked its way across his lips. "I think you're drunk."

  I bobbed my head in an unsteady nod, which felt much like it was stuffed with very, very heavy cotton. Soft, yet with the weight of lead.

  "I think I'm drunk, too," I murmured as I slumped against him. He felt so good. So warm. So hard, yet soft. He was wonderful. So wonderful. Why couldn't I admit that to myself sooner? I could've spent more time just like this.

  A few seconds or minutes later, I wasn't really sure, the world spun around me and then I was in the air. Rylos was holding me to his chest. I sluggishly raised my eyes to his and saw him looking down at me with that same sad smile.

  "Don't be sad," I mumbled. "It's not like I can get out of here anyway. You win."

  My eyes grew heavier with each second. I nestled against his chest and let myself sink into the comforting darkness of sleep. I wasn't sure if I was dreaming or not when I heard him softly say, "Forgive me."

  10

  I was beyond thankful that I woke up long after Rylos had left for work the next day. Embarrassment sat like a rock in my stomach, making it churn wildly. Or maybe that was the krylo he'd given me to drink.

  I looked at the broken remnants of my tablet with a sigh. I wished I could use it to look up what that stuff was made out of. It knocked me on my ass out of nowhere—I couldn't even blame my behavior on it. I felt a little fuzzy, sure, but when it actually hit me full-on, I was out like a light.

  Breaking my tablet was probably a short-sighted choice. I'd known on some level that I wasn't getting out that night. Rylos had me well and good. None of my skills were useful when I literally couldn't go beyond the gates. Just because I could get over them if I wanted to didn't mean anything. I lifted my hand to look at the bracelet and realized with a jolt that it was gone. He took it off? But why?!

  I rubbed at my wrist as I stared ahead in shock. I wasn't exactly wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth or whatever but I had just tried to escape the previous night. I couldn't, sure, but I had made my intentions clear. So why the hell would he remove my bracelet now?

  There was a sudden knock at my door. I frowned. Usually Kastia and Solyndi simply barged their way inside. I'd learned to expect and accept it, frankly.

  "Who is it?" I called out.

  Nobody replied but the door opened. On the other side stood two guards armed with those strange staves they all carried. I didn't recognize them. I hadn't exactly made friends with Rylos's guards, although that might've been a smart choice, but I was fairly certain I'd never seen them before.

  Both men stepped inside the room and flanked the open doorway. Standing there was Rylos's brother, Governor Solys.

  "Good morning," he said. Something about the smile on his face sent a chill down my spine. It reminded me of so many of the guards in the laboratory who had leered at me.

  Despite the sickness in my stomach, I drew myself up and stepped out of bed. "What're you doing here?"

  "Am I not allowed in my brother's home?" he asked, cocking his head to the side. His smile was still firmly in place, and that only made it creepier. Aside from that gross comment he'd made as I left the dining room, he didn't seem nearly as frightening as he did right now. Ill intent was written all over his expression.

  "Not in my room you're not."

  Solys chuckled and stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. "I was shocked when I heard that my brother got himself a human. I knew that he couldn't possibly handle your kind." His eyes swept up and down my body, lingering on my chest, and he bit down hard on his lower lip. "You require so much discipline."

  "Get out of here," I bit out, as if the powerful man with two bodyguards would listen to me.

  He clicked his tongue and crossed the distance between us, backing me into the wall beside my bed. I flattened against it, my mind spinning as I thought about how I was going to defend myself from whatever he intended to do.

  I still had the broken glass shards from that tablet. I would happily slice him to ribbons if I had to. I'd never thought of myself as a violent person before we crashed here. All it took was one guard getting a little handsy to show me I was more than willing to impale someone.

  Yet, all Solys did was stop in front of me and shove his hands into his pockets. "Don't worry. We're both getting out of here."

  I knitted my brows together. "What're you talking about?"

  He was silent for a moment. Still smiling. He reached out and touched a single finger to my jawline. As he started to trail it down, I jerked my head away. "You don't have any right to touch me."

  Despite their soft silver glow, Solys's eyes grew cold. "Marion, isn't it?"

  I grimaced. I didn't like the way my name sounded when he said it. Not at all. It was like hearing it come from the mouth of a snake, each sound drawn out for just a little too long. Something in his expression shifted and the smile disappeared, replaced by something dark and flat. Emotionless.

  His hand shot out and his fingers bit into my jaw as he seized my chin. I pushed against him and his guards were there in an instant, their weapons pointed at me. Gritting my teeth together in fury, I slowly pulled my hands away.

  "That's my girl. It'll be okay, Marion," he soothed in a voice that was anything but soothing. "I'll break you soon enough. Then we won't have to deal with these distasteful displays of force anymore."

  If I hadn't been as confused as I was furious, I might've laughed. But I had a feeling he wasn't the kind of guy who took being laughed at very well anyway, so it was for the best. Instead, I looked him straight in the eyes and spoke through my clenched teeth as his fingers made my jaw ache. "What do you want from me?"

  "Everything," Solys said with a lewd grin. "And you'll give it to me. Because I own you now."

  "No, you don't. Rylos does." I wanted to choke on those words. It wasn't easy saying someone owned me, but it was better than being claimed by someone like this.

  "He did, yes. But not anymore."

  "What do you mean?" My tone was getting shorter with each question. I was getting tired of this game very quickly.

  "My brother has given me a gift in the form of . . . you." His smarmy smile grew. "You're mine now."

  If the world had crumbled down around at that moment, I wouldn't have noticed. I was far too stunned. Rylos was getting rid of me. It made sense though. I hadn't exactly been a good pet. But I thought—I don't know what I thought.

  I could've sworn that something had shifted between us. Something had changed. I hadn't thought for a second that removing the bracelet meant he was going to hand me off to his awful brother.

  "Change out of that silly maid outfit and into something like what you wore the other night."

  I brought up one corner of my upper lip in
a snarl. "That all belongs to Rylos."

  Solys's grip tightened. "Would you rather travel naked? That would make for an interesting ride, wouldn't it?"

  I eyed the guards for a moment, frustrated tears stinging at my eyes. No matter how much of a badass I liked to think I was, there was nothing I could do with a coward that brought two others to handle me.

  Solys eased his grip and took a step back, pointing to the door of my closet. As I walked over to the set of doors, my mind was a sea of curses at Rylos, his brother, the Korysti, and this stupid planet that we had the misfortune of crashing on.

  11

  If I thought Rylos's home was a little much, I was completely overwhelmed by Solys's. Whereas Rylos's had simply been a lot of wide open space filled with beautiful, glowing plants and simple decorations, Solys's seemed to be all about presenting an image.

  The sort of image that said he had far more money than sense, or taste for that matter. I was starting to wonder just how much politicians were paid on Korystus. I had the idea that they were very, very important from the way Kastia and Solyndi spoke about them, but this seemed like a little much.

  "This isn't a tour, Marion," Solys seethed, jerking me closer to his side. "Rylos told me all about your sneaky habits. That won't work for you here. If you misbehave, there will be punishments. You can ask your friend all about that when we get there."

  "Get where?" I asked, trying to keep calm despite the not-so-subtle threat to hurt me.

  "To your room, of course." He shot me a brief, yet chilling smile as we walked. "I'm afraid it's not nearly as impressive as the one Rylos gave you."

  We descended from the main floor to an enclosed basement that was lit only by a few glowing plants along the top of the wall. This room was the simplest thing I'd seen here yet. It wasn't filled with gadgets or ostentatious art and furniture. It was nearly bare. There was a door in the back. Solys pulled me toward it.

  He opened it and I was greeted by a dark, windowless room with a single glowing plant illuminating the cramped space. A gasp tore from my lips as I realized there was a form huddled next to the plant. It was a human. Her pale skin looked nearly translucent in the soft glow. Dark eyes framed by black hair met mine, then looked away just as quickly.

  "This is where you will stay to begin with," Solys said breezily, as if there wasn't a cowering human right in front of us. "If you behave, you will be moved elsewhere. I have a firm belief that you get out what you put in, understand me? Unfortunately, my dear Naomi hasn't quite grasped that yet."

  My stomach revolted as acid found its way up the back of my throat. I choked it back down, swallowing to soothe the burn. I knew exactly what he meant and I wasn't going to fair any better than Naomi. I refused to let him do whatever he wanted with me. I would sooner fight to my last breath. Being dead was preferable to being this Korysti's toy.

  "I know you've got a nasty streak in you, so I'll leave you down here for a day or two." The bile rose in my throat once more as Solys brought his lips close to my ear. "We'll see how sweet you want to be after that."

  He shoved me inside and the door slammed shut behind me. I stared at it in the darkness, disbelief keeping me still for a beat. I can't believe Rylos is related to this slimy bastard. That wasn't the only thought knocking me sideways. It was the fact that Rylos had given me to said slimy bastard. How could he?

  I walked over to a wall, pressed my back against it and hugged my arms around myself as I slid down. The moment I let my guard down, even a little, the Korysti found yet another way to screw me over. I had honestly thought that Rylos was . . . different somehow, despite the way he initially treated me. I looked around the damp, dark room with a bitter laugh.

  "Careful not to spiral," the woman huddled in the corner of the room said, "you'll drive yourself mad if you chase after those bad thoughts. I would know. I ran as far as they would take me." She let out a soft giggle. "Still can't find my way back, if I'm being honest."

  "How—How long have you been down here?" I asked, even though it seemed obvious from the lilt in her voice that she wasn't all there. It'd definitely been a long time. Not that it would take long, being locked in a tiny room without windows like this one.

  "A month or two, I think." She sat back and tossed up her hands, giving me the first good look at her face. I recognized her, but I couldn't remember where from. There'd been a small city's worth of us on that ship, so it wasn't exactly unusual that I wouldn't immediately know who she was. It was honestly more weird that I did recognize her.

  "I'm Marion. You?"

  "Naomi. It's been so long since I've heard the name Marion. Used to be a miracle to go a week without hearing it. I remember it got real confusing in school." She held up a hand. "No offense or anything."

  "None taken. We went by first name, last initial in the engine room because there were three of us. It's just a fact of life for us Marions. Or, well . . . it was, I guess. I don't see very many Marions anymore."

  Naomi's expression hardened. "You worked on the engines?"

  It was obvious from a glance that she knew why we crashed, and that it was because we—no—because I had failed. I'd been in contact with so few humans since the crash that I never had to own up to it face-to-face. Now was that time whether I wanted it to be or not.

  "Where did you work?" I asked in a soft voice.

  "I was a pilot."

  That would explain why I recognized her. The bridge communicated via video link with us in the engine room. I'd seen all of their faces countless times, and they had seen mine.

  "You were in there, weren't you?" she asked, accusation coloring her voice, her eyes, her posture.

  I nodded, slow and solemn. "Were you . . .?"

  "On deck that day?" The sourness in her tone was answer enough. "I was."

  I pressed my head back against the cool wall. "I'm sorry."

  "Yeah, me too." It was her turn to lean back against the wall. She let out a short, humorless laugh. "I thought I recognized you. Just my luck. Getting stuck with one of the few humans I'd rather never see again."

  I let my eyes fall shut. I'd always blamed myself for the crash, and I feared that others did as well. This was proof they did. I deserved it.

  If I’d just done a little more . . .

  I'd burned through my flesh trying to keep that ship going, yet I still thought I could've done something to prevent the crash. I didn't think I could’ve. I knew. Could I explain it? Could I break down what else I could've possibly done to keep that ship going? No. That didn't stop me from blaming myself though. It never would. But this wasn't the time for wallowing. I had the rest of my existence for that one.

  I took in a deep breath, let it out, then opened my eyes. "Look, Naomi, you can hate me all you want later, but I need your help right now."

  "You want my help?" Another sad laugh. "What do you think I can do for you? How can I make your stay in Solys's little prison cell more pleasant? Tell me and I'll happily accommodate you."

  "By helping me get out of it. I'll make sure you get out too. I promise."

  "You promise?" She gave me a wry half-smile. "Sure."

  "I'm good at finding ways out of places."

  My thoughts took a brief trip back to my time at Rylos's. I hadn't ever really tried to escape, had I? No, I hadn't. Rylos's home had grown comfortable to me. And some part of me missed it.

  I missed seeing Kastia and Solyndi every morning. I missed reading about the planet's history on my tablet. I missed that tooth-achingly sweet drink that I had with breakfast every morning. I hadn't appreciated any of it. Rylos hadn't exactly made that part easy. Not at all. But I'd done my fair share of making things difficult, hadn't I? Even then, if he hadn't been such a nightmare at first—Ugh.

  Honestly, my biggest motivator for getting out of here was to give him a piece of my mind. In fact, it made me downright confident I wouldn't be here for long.

  "So," Naomi began slowly, her curiosity piqued. "How exactly do you plan to get out
of a room with no lock on the inside, no windows, and a vent far too tiny for a mouse to crawl through?"

  "Solys," I replied simply.

  "Are you insane?"

  "You're going to convince him you're ready to behave."

  "I'm definitely not."

  I gave her a flat look. "You better if you ever want to get out of here. Just trust me."

  "That didn't work out so well for me last time, did it?"

  I closed my eyes once more and knotted my hands together, clenching them tight. I deserved every word but that didn't make it hurt any less. Hopefully I could redeem myself a little by getting her out of here. Although, I was starting to lose faith in hope.

  12

  True to his slimy words, Solys didn't appear for at least a day. I didn't know how Naomi had managed to keep herself so strong and alert after having been locked in here for so long. It was awful. Especially since she didn't want to talk with me. Not that I blamed her. It was her choice, and I would respect it.

  I could understand how this whole thing worked on most people. When I heard Solys outside the door, I honestly got a little excited. Not because I was happy to see him. Not even because this would be our chance to escape. It was solely the thought of getting out of here.

  But then I saw his smug face and got excited about escaping all over again. Solys slid the door open with agonizing slowness, like he wanted to draw out our torture just a little bit longer. I found myself wondering how he and Rylos could even come from the same family. For all his faults, Rylos was nothing like this psychopath.

  "Hello, my darlings," he said with that stupid smile still in place. His attention immediately turned to me, as if he had given up hope on Naomi. Good. It took great effort to keep my expression neutral as he said, "Are you ready to behave?"