“Go have your shower and get dressed.” He moved her gently and stood. “I’ll fix breakfast.”
Her tone was playful. “I can cook, you know. You don’t have to prepare all my meals.”
“It’s part of the perks of being a prisoner.”
He’d said it jokingly, trying to keep the mood light, but her eyes turned somber. Damn him. He was such an idiot.
He touched her cheek. “I didn’t mean to…” What? Remind her what she was? Why she was here? His big, infallible master plan had just fallen to pieces. Revenge wasn’t sweet, after all. Instead of weaning himself of her, he’d gotten more addicted. “Never mind.” He dropped his hand and stomped from the room before he said more hurtful things.
While Ilse ate, he showered and dressed. She’d cleaned up the kitchen when he walked back into the room.
“I have something for you.” He held the gift box from the Bruma Market out to her.
A smile transformed her face into something angelic as she reached for it. “For me?”
“Open it.” He held his breath. Would she like it? Would she get the meaning, what he was trying to tell her?
Carefully, she unwrapped the box and lifted the lid. “Oh, my God. Drako, it’s beautiful.”
“Try it on.”
She slipped the ring onto the middle finger of her right hand. The stones shone like bleeding stars. The color stood out against the paleness of her skin. The design emphasized the slenderness of her hand, making her seem even more delicate.
“It suits you.”
She splayed her fingers and held her hand up to the light. “I love it. It’s gorgeous. But…”
His elation at seeing his gift on her hand faltered. “But what?” Would she refuse to keep it? Maybe she didn’t want something to remind her of him. Maybe she wanted to forget.
“But why?” she asked, watching him intently.
It was a symbol of his affection, and a selfish part of him wanted her to remember him, even when she was another Krinar’s charl. The elation of presenting her with a gift suddenly turned heavy. Where it was joyful when he’d acquired it, the significance now felt sad.
“If you don’t know why, you’ll figure it out in time.” He held out a hand. “Let’s go.”
“Where?”
“Home.”
“Home?”
“My planet.”
“Your planet!” She took a step away. “You’re out of your mind.”
“At least there you’ll be safe. If you stay here, your government will eventually catch you. They’re a lot more powerful with more resources than you.”
She clutched at the island counter at her back. “I don’t want to go to your planet.”
“It’s not a request, Ilse. You don’t get a choice in the matter. Look at it this way, at least you’ll be rid of me.”
“You’re letting me go?”
“Yes.” The word sliced right through him. “I’m letting you go.”
“I’m free?”
From here. From him. “That’s what I said.”
She reached for him. “Drako, please don’t do this. I don’t know your planet. This is my home. This is where I belong.”
“No more arguing!”
At his tone, she flinched.
“We’re leaving. Now. It’s not up for discussion. Either you come willingly or I’ll use the necessary force.”
“Where exactly are you taking me? To a town? A settlement? Does it have a name? How am I supposed to live there? Will I be able to even breathe in your atmosphere? Where will I live? How will I earn a living?”
So many questions, not enough answers. “You’ll see.”
She grabbed his arm. “No. This is my life. I have a right to know.”
“You have no more rights, little doll, only goodwill, so don’t test it.” Not able to stand her wounded look, he added in a softer tone,“We’ll stop at a space station first. You’ll learn all you need to know about Krina there.”
Resignation showed in the drop of her shoulders.
He turned his back on her and made his way to the docking bay where the pod was parked.
Ilse squinted at the bright sunlight when they got outside. The way she looked around and dragged the polluted air into her lungs as if it was the first time in her life she came outdoors released a dam of guilt inside him. Pushing it aside, he helped her inside the pod. When he’d secured her safety harness, he took off for the Krina station where Kahvissar was waiting.
“This is unreal,” she said, staring down at her planet through the transparent floor as the pod lifted off.
He didn’t miss the way her nails dug into the armrests of her chair.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “You’re safe.”
“You crashed with a thing like this, didn’t you?” she asked in a thin voice.
“It’s been upgraded since.”
“What if someone sees us? If we can see out, they must be able to see in, right?”
“We’re invisible to the outside world.” He regarded her pale cheeks. “Are you all right?”
“It’s just a bit frightening, the way we’re flying as if we’re in nothing but a chair, and how fast we seem to move, but it’s better than to feel closed into the small space of your plane.”
He smiled. We call it a pod,” he reminded her.
“Your pod.”
He cupped her hand. “You’ll be fine.”
He wasn’t only referring to the flying. Thinking of it made him to want kick objects and tear at the sky. He released her hand.
This way was best.
For both of them.
It was like being in a dream. Ilse wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad one. She looked around the space station as Drako led her from the parking bay to security and from there to a set of rooms with long windows showing the darkness of space sprinkled with stars and planets. A man taller and bulkier than Drako but with the same yellow eyes and flawless, golden skin came to his feet as they entered a room at the end of the corridor.
Feeling overwhelmed, she wanted to reach for Drako’s hand, but he’d been strangely distant since this morning’s sex. Instinctively, she knew he wouldn’t welcome the contact.
“Bienvenue,” the man said, walking to her with outstretched arms.
She gave Drako a bewildered look, but he offered no explanation as the man placed his hands on her shoulders and pressed his cheek to hers. “You are even more lovely in person than in hologram.”
“You’ve seen pictures of me?” She glanced at Drako again.
“But of course.”
“This is Kahvissar,” Drako said tightlipped. “He offered to take you as charl.”
“What?” She slipped from Kahvissar’s hold, looking between the men. “What is that supposed to be? Some kind of maid?”
“A maid?” Kahvissar gave a hearty laugh. “It’s a life-long companion. A human mate. In Earth terms, I suppose you’d call it a wife.”
The world gave way under her feet. If not for Kahvissar’s steadying hands, she would’ve dropped to her knees. Pain lanced at her heart. She searched Drako’s eyes, but he simply stood there with a cold expression. Unfeeling.
“Is she unwell?” Kahvissar asked.
“She’ll be fine. It was her first space journey.”
Pressing a hand on her stomach, she took a shaky breath. It took all her strength to hold back the tears that burned behind her eyes. “Am I a commodity to be passed from one of you to another? Like a pet or possession?”
“Ah, zut.” Kahvissar shot Drako a look. “You didn’t tell her. You’re a first-class troll, Drako.”
“It’s not safe to let you go back to Earth,” Drako said. “Your government will convict you for your crimes, if not assassinate you for the role you played in my escape. You can only be granted access to Krina or one of its settlements as a charl. Kahvissar volunteered for the role.”
She backed up to the wall. She felt sick. Shocked. Betrayed. “I see. Is that wh
y you gave me the ring? It’s a keepsake?” she asked bitterly.
“It’s best like this for both of us,” Drako continued. “It’s not you, per se. It’s that I can never trust you.”
“I didn’t work for the government agents. It was a ploy to win time to help you escape. Neither did I steal medicine to run a black market operation. Yes, I bought medicine on the black market to help a patient, but as for the rest, I was framed.”
Drako’s face turned hard. “Ilse, stop. Don’t make a fool of yourself. I was there. I heard and saw with my own eyes and ears.”
It hurt. The coldness in her heart seemed to spread through her whole body until there wasn’t a part of her that didn’t feel frozen. She’d developed feelings for him, strong ones at that, but if this was truly what he believed of her, he didn’t deserve her.
Biting back her tears, she lifted her chin. “Goodbye, Drako.”
He nodded once at Kahvissar and then stalked from the room, not looking back.
15
The terrain on the unnamed planet Drako was inspecting for sand kiting was brittle and cold. His den had temperature control and all the comforts that came with one, but he couldn’t shake that coldness or the emptiness that pressed on his heart. It was worse than the pain he’d suffered in the hands of the agents on Earth. For that, he only had a pretty little human doll to blame. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. He wasn’t going to contact Kahvissar and meddle in their private lives. They deserved undisturbed time together to complete their bonding. Had Kahvissar presented her at Krina? Did Kahvissar enjoy her body as much as he had? He jumped from the plank where he was working and paced to the kitchen. Maybe just a quick call, to see if she’d adapted. No, damnation. He pressed a fist to his mouth. He had to be strong. Kahvissar had warned him about the physical addiction of taking human blood, but he’d failed to mention the emotional addiction would be much stronger.
Damn it. Zut. He activated his palm device, hesitated for all of one second, and called Kahvissar via voice command.
“Drako,” his friend replied in a jovial tone. “How’s the unknown territory? Still getting a kick out of the adventure?”
He wasn’t interested in small talk. “How is Ilse doing?” His heart contracted, the cavity between his ribs filling with bitter poison as he imagined her naked in the arms of his friend. He continued his pacing. “Is she happy? Has she adapted to Krina?”
“I didn’t take her to Krina.”
Hope flared in his chest. “She’s still there, at the station?” Maybe he could catch a glimpse of her.
“She went back to Earth.”
He stopped dead. “She did what?”
“She left.”
“I heard you fine, you moron. How could she have left?”
“I let her go.”
“What do you mean you let her go? She’s your charl!”
“No, she’s not. She rejected me and asked that I send her home. I had no choice.”
“Why?” An ache started throbbing in his temples. “Why would she reject you and risk her life?”
“She said she only cared for you.”
He advanced to the hologram in two strides. “Cared for me?”
“She said she loved you.”
Drako balled his hands into fists. His voice rose in volume with every word. “You didn’t think to check with me before you let her go?”
“You said you didn’t want her as charl. Why would I have checked with you?”
“Zut! You’re an idiot. You put her life in danger. Do you know what her government will do to her if they catch her, which, right now, is more of a certainty than a probability?”
“Sadly, yes, I understand that they’d eliminate her, which is why I let her go. It serves us, too. This way, she won’t talk about the invasion. We can’t risk information slipping out before the time is right.”
“Zut zut zut!” He rushed to the floating desk, gathering his material.
“Drako, what are you doing? Need I remind you that you have no authorization to go back to Earth?”
“I guess I’ll just have to risk the Elders’ wrath.”
“I insist that you––”
He cut the feed before Kahvissar could utter more protests. Inside his pod, he programmed the coordinates for Earth and set off at maximum speed. He only hoped it wasn’t too late.
“I can’t meet with you again, Caitlin.” Ilse twisted the ruby ring around her finger. Like always, it sparked bitter-sweet memories she couldn’t let go. “It’s too risky.”
They were in an alley behind a supermarket where they’d agreed to meet. Driving around her house in a rented car had confirmed that it was still being watched. So was the hospital. Caitlin’s landline and mobile phone had been tapped, too.
“At least tell me where you’re staying,” Caitlin said. “I’m going out of my mind with worry about you.”
“It’s better that you don’t know. Did you bring it?”
Caitlin took the Rifampin from her pocket and handed it over. “I can’t keep on smuggling medicine out like this. After the allegations, the police are watching the hospital with hawk eyes, searching for any leads to you.”
“I’m sorry to put you in this situation. I wouldn’t have asked if it wasn’t a matter of life and death.”
“It’s for that patient, the one you promised to visit, isn’t it?”
“She’s a good woman. She doesn’t deserve to suffer because of corruption.”
“Tell me what I can do to help you.”
“You can stay out of it. The last thing you want is to be implicated.”
Caitlin sighed. “You can’t call me again as my mother. If someone catches on and compares the numbers, they’ll put two and two together.”
“You’re right.” Ilse glanced over her shoulder. “I have to go.” She took Caitlin into a hug.
Tears trembled in Caitlin’s voice. “You say it like it’s goodbye.”
She wasn’t going to lie to one of the few friends she had. “Take care of yourself. Keep your nose clean and stay out of trouble. Whatever you do, don’t get messed up with the medicine scandal. It’s not worth it.”
Caitlin sniffed. “You, too, honey, and get some sleep. You look like shit.”
Ilse smiled. “Thanks, not only for the medicine, but so much more.”
The women hugged again briefly.
Ilse left the alley, not looking back at her friend for the fear that she’d break down and cry. It had been a tough month, living from hand to mouth, mostly on Mosa’s charity. Thankfully, Samuel was no longer a threat. When the inhabitants of the township had found out what he’d done, they’d beaten him with sticks and expelled him with stones. They didn’t take kindly to the betrayal of their own, and Mosa was a respected and loved figure. She held much influence over the informal settlement community.
Mosa was sitting on a box outside the shack when Ilse arrived.
“I have your medicine,” Ilse said, handing it over.
“You shouldn’t do this,” Mosa chastised. “Have you learned nothing?”
Ilse chuckled. “Let you die while those black market bastards make a packet? I don’t think so.” She sat down next to Mosa on the ground. “I have a plan.”
“I don’t like it.”
Ilse clicked her tongue. “You haven’t even heard it, yet.”
“I don’t care. I don’t want to. I know it’s going to be bad.”
“It’s no use stealing and conniving every month to get your rightful supply of medicine. We need to take down the black market operation and prove my innocence.”
She couldn’t approach the government and warn them about the pending invasion with a price on her head. The minute she showed her face, Pete and his cronies would pounce and assassinate her. She had to prove her innocence first.
“No judge will set you free. The police own them. You’re a government liability now.”
“The media can put pressure on the
police force.”
“The article you leaked didn’t work.”
“It must’ve been intercepted by one of the big shot editors. The government owns the newspapers. I need a watchdog media channel, like Carte Blanche.”
“Then what? What proof do you have? They can’t go around making wild accusations without proof.”
“I don’t have proof, yet, but I will.”
“See? This is the part I don’t like.”
“I don’t have a choice. I can’t run forever, and stopping these dealers is the right thing to do. We need less corruption and more damn medicine.”
“Ilse.” Mosa stilled her with a hand on her arm. “Let’s face it. I’m going to die. There’s no point in risking your life for me.”
“You’re not going to die.” She added softly, “Besides, there are many others like you.”
“You can’t save them if you can’t save yourself. Get away from here. I beg you. Go to Lesotho.”
“When I’ve taken the black market down.”
Mosa sighed. “You’re adamant about this.”
“Yes.”
“If you won’t let me persuade you to give up your crazy idea, at least let me help you.”
“You’re not getting involved. It’s too dangerous. If something happens to me, you have to tell the world the truth.” She gripped Mosa’s hand. “Will you promise me?”
“All right.” The older woman straightened with a groan. “When are you doing it?”
“Tomorrow.”
“So soon?”
“Not soon enough.”
“I’m sorry I took so much of your time.”
It had taken Ilse a month to doctor Mosa back to health. The state she’d found her in after not having had access to medicine had left her close to death. Too close.
“It’s not your fault.” Ilse hugged her. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here for you.”
“It wasn’t your fault, either. If that alien hadn’t abducted you––”
“Let’s wash up for dinner.”
She didn’t want to be reminded of the alien who believed the worst of her and traded her like a piece of animal hide.
No, thanks.
It was enough that he dominated her dreams.
The Krinar Experiment Page 15
