I tried not to let my mind linger on the memory of Borys’s hand around Tara’s waist. The thought of what she might be forced into doing in order to keep him on her side was torturous.
I needed to get out of this damn cage so I could help her.
Remembering the clang of metal that had woken me, I turned my attention to the Trad guard at the gate.
“Wakey-wakey, sleepyhead,” he said, a sneer to his tone. “Time for breakfast.”
I stayed where I was but positioned myself into a crouch. The shadows went some way to hiding me, and the Trad’s eyes would be used to the bright sunlight outside, making it harder to see me. As I’d expected, he squinted and placed his hand to the side of his face to shield his eyes.
“You’re not dead in there, I hope,” he continued. “Polityk Borys won’t be impressed if you’ve died without giving us a show first.”
My growl came from the back of the cage. “Fuck Borys.”
“Now, now,” he scolded me, “that’s no way to speak of our leader.”
“He’s no leader of mine.”
The gate unlocked with a clank. “Don’t let him hear you—”
But I didn’t allow the Trad to finish his sentence. Throwing myself at the unlocked gate, I slammed my body weight against it. The gate hit the Trad full in the face, and the bowl of food he’d been carrying spilled from his hand. I didn’t even give him long enough to cry out, and instead reached out to grab him and haul him into the cage with me. Physically, he was bigger than me, but I’d stunned him with the gate and was moving quicker. From behind, I locked my arm around his throat and squeezed. Taking a life wasn’t something I enjoyed, but this was one of Borys’s men, and anyone who worked directly under him didn’t have decent bone in their body. I needed him dead or he would give me away, and I had to get free of this cage to be there for Tara. I’d happily sacrifice a hundred Trads if it meant she was safe.
The Trad clawed at my arm. His tail lashed between us, but I side-stepped it, managing to avoid the appendage as he used it to try to push me off. My position—pinned close to his back, the base of his tail squeezed between us—reduced his movements, or I was sure he’d have used his tail to choke me instead.
The seconds turned to minutes, and his chokes and gurgles faded. His struggles ceased and, finally, he slumped in my arms. I caught him under the armpits and dragged him to the back of the cage. I threw him to the floor and then stooped and bent to pick up the thin blanket they’d provided me with. I threw it over the top of the Trad, covering him so, if anyone stopped by, they’d think I was sleeping. Of course, the Trad was bigger, and if they got a glimpse of the horns and tail, they’d know right away that something was wrong, but I was counting on the dark shadows at the back of the walled cage to hide any differences.
I needed to keep my head down. I wanted to help Tara, but I also didn’t want to get in the way. If I could go unnoticed, then maybe I could learn something that would help her.
I slipped out of the gate and stepped into the courtyard. The fighting pit lay ahead of me, but I had no intention of going into that hellhole again. I wanted to use the wall as cover, however, so I ran to it, staying light on my feet, and then traversed the structure to take me to the other side. Mercifully, everything was quiet. I’d take down anyone I needed to, but if I could just stay out of their way, even better. My only goal was to find out where Tara was being held inside, make contact with her, and find out how she was doing. I figured this property was big enough for me to go unnoticed.
Moving swiftly, I left the shelter of the fighting pit wall and crossed to the outside of the main property. The hexagonal door leading into the building hissed and slid open, and a Trad exited. I darted against the side of the building, staying flush with the wall, waiting for him to step away, and then slid in through the gap before it had time to close again.
I found myself in a corridor. Several doors led off it, but I had no idea what was behind them. I also didn’t know how many guards Borys would have patrolling this place. It was large, and I hoped there was enough unused areas for me to be able to secret myself unnoticed. If I came across any Trads, I’d have to do whatever was necessary to keep them quiet, though I didn’t want the bodies to be found either. If it was noticed that I was gone from the cage, I wanted Borys to assume I’d run and try to put as much distance between myself and this place as possible. I doubted he would think I’d still be on the grounds, and it was even less likely I’d willingly enter the property. I was just an Athion slave to him, and he had no idea about my connections. Or at least that was the plan.
I wondered how far from here Tara was being held. Would he allow her free rein of the property, or was it more likely he had her locked away somewhere? I wanted to find her, but I also didn’t want to do anything that might ruin her plans. My intention was merely to wait and watch, and try not to get seen myself.
Cautiously, I paused at each of the doors, and then, when I felt sure I wouldn’t be opening one to find a group of Trads on the other side, I cracked the door open and peered inside. One appeared to be a meeting room, with a long chrome-and-glass table running down the middle. Another was filled with electronics, large touch screens positioned on the walls. I took a guess that this was Borys’s work area. Would this be where he’d keep plans on the facilities?
The rebel group had never been able to infiltrate anyone into Borys’s close circle enough to be able to get access to this building. He was naturally suspicious, and those around him were Trads he’d known for many years—long before the plan of attacking Earth and abducting women had come into place. None of his comrades could be turned either, and we were left on the outside. The only time he let his guard down, it seemed, was with the women. Perhaps he underestimated them and didn’t think they’d ever be capable of doing something that could upset his plans in the long run. There was no doubt he viewed every other species that wasn’t a Trad as something beneath him. He had no respect for humans or Athions alike. We merely existed to serve a purpose to him.
Footsteps approached, followed by voices.
I moved swiftly, slipping inside the closest doorway. I froze, my breath trapped in my lungs as I waited for the Trads to pass, and prayed they wouldn’t decide to disturb my hiding place.
Chapter Twenty
My night had been filled with horrors.
I’d dreamed I was back at the facility, chained to one of the pods, with my stomach swollen and taut with a new pregnancy. I knew it was Borys’s baby inside me this time, though my mind blurred at the possibility. I’d been given an injection to stop me getting pregnant, so how could I be carrying his child? The injection couldn’t have worked. I was going to have to go through the trauma of birth all over again.
Tears streamed down my face, some part of my mind knowing this wasn’t right. They’d promised me the injection was going to work, but instead I’d ended up in the exact position I’d been terrified of. Had they done it on purpose? Had this all been one big trick, and Nadeusz and Mikotaj were just more Trads who’d wanted me to fulfil the purpose I’d been brought to Tradrych for? Were they laughing now? Laughing at the stupid human female who’d willingly handed herself over to the most evil Trad on this part of the planet? I didn’t know what broke my heart more—the idea they’d betrayed me, or that I was back in the facility, heavy with Borys’s child.
I WOKE THE FOLLOWING morning with my face damp, my pillow soaked with tears. Immediately, I put my hand to my belly, reassuring myself it was still flat. I exhaled a long, shaky sigh. It had only been a dream. That was all. They hadn’t betrayed me.
Swinging my legs off the side of the bed, I pushed my hair from my face. The blonde strands were darkened with the dampness of my tears, and a weight had appeared inside my chest. I recognized this feeling, a despair that threatened to steal my motivation. It was easy to give in, to lie back down and wallow, and allow it to suck all hope from me like a vampire, but I wasn’t going to let it.
My th
oughts went back to the previous evening. I’d been both relieved and surprised Borys hadn’t tried to touch me again, despite my best attempts. I hadn’t managed to convince him to let me see any of his private living areas, but at least now I knew which area of the property they were in.
Knowing I needed to focus my mind and give myself something to do, I went into the bathroom to relieve myself, and then climbed up onto the side of the bath to push open the panel on the ceiling that led to the vent.
“Zoe, are you awake?” My voice was a hissed whisper, but I felt sure it carried down. I hoped she was alone and that I wasn’t giving myself away to a Trad who might be in her room.
There was no response, and so I called to her again.
This time, she replied. “I’m here. Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m all right. I wanted to check on you.”
“I haven’t seen him—the one who bought us, I mean. Has he been into you?”
I didn’t want to tell her. I didn’t want to tell her about what he’d done to me, or how he’d introduced me to his guests, or had me watching a fighting pit match.
“Only briefly,” I replied. “He—”
A knock came at the bedroom door.
I leaped from the side of the tub, my heart galloping. I’d thought to shut the door between the bathroom and the bedroom, but there was no lock on it. Whoever was knocking—and I had no doubt it was a Trad—could easily walk in.
“One minute!” I called out.
“Tara?” Zoe’s voice whispered, but then she fell quiet again, obviously realizing something was wrong.
I hoped she’d stay quiet or she was going to give us both away.
I looked toward the bathroom door, hesitating, then glanced back up and realized I’d left the panel askew. If the Trad walked in here, he might easily notice it. But if I climbed back up to put it back in place, I would take longer to come out, and he might come in here and catch me. If that happened, any possible ideas I might have about using the vents to find my way around the property unseen would be over before they’d even started.
Quickly, I made a decision. I waved my hand over the top of the toilet cistern to work the automatic flush—though every time I went near the toilet, I imagined those black jellied eggs floating to the surface of the bowl—ran my hands beneath the faucet, and opened the door.
The Trad, Odex, stood with his arms folded across his broad chest, his eyes narrowed at me.
“You took your time.”
“I hadn’t realized I was working to a schedule.”
“Well, you are. It’s breakfast.”
He nodded to where he’d placed a tray of food on the desk. Fruits I didn’t recognize, a bowl of something white and creamy—a Trad version of yogurt, perhaps, though I certainly hadn’t seen any animals that looked like Trad versions of cows—and a tall beaker of red juice.
I wasn’t going to thank the bastard. I’d have preferred to pick up the tray, slam it in his face, and make a run for it, but that wasn’t going to help anyone—especially not all the women who were still prisoners in the facility.
Besides, I was starving.
Odex backed out without saying another word and closed the door behind him. A click signaled the lock engaging. I waited for a moment to make sure he was gone, and then hurried back into the bathroom to climb up on the side of the tub again and pull the panel back into place. I didn’t call out to Zoe, knowing the Trad might easily have gone to her room next.
Leaving the bathroom, I pulled over the stool so I could sit at the desk. The fruit was fresh and sweet, the yogurt-style food creamy, but it didn’t taste like it came from a cow or any other kind of animal for that matter. Perhaps it was like a dairy substitute and came from some kind of nut instead. The juice was tart, and reminded me of cranberries.
I was hit by a sudden punch of homesickness. Even if I was able to go back, it wasn’t as though I’d be able to slip straight into my old life. Everything had changed now because of the Trads. The building where I’d worked for the past few years no longer existed, and I had no idea about what had happened to my apartment block. I assumed it had gone the same way as many of the tall buildings in Las Vegas. It no longer existing didn’t stop me missing home, however. I wondered if one day I’d be able to get a message down to my old friends, if they were even still on Earth, and hadn’t either been killed during the fighting or abducted to Tradrych like I had. My best friend, Camille, would have known what had happened to me by now, and she would have been worried.
Thoughts of worrying about others turned my mind toward Diarus. I hoped the scratches on his chest hadn’t become infected. Did he have plans about how to get out of the cage Borys had apparently put him in? I hoped nothing I did went against any tactics he might have.
I couldn’t wait any longer. I was going to use the vents in the ceiling to try to navigate the building so I could see if I was able to find anything of use. It wasn’t only my fear for Diarus that pushed me to making up my mind, but also my dread of what Borys would do to me the next time he visited. Now I knew the realities of what happened when a Trad ejaculated, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to act well enough to hide my terror. Even if he used his pheromones to sedate me, I worried I would scream and try to fight him off if he came near me.
I couldn’t do anything during the day. I was left alone at night, it seemed, so that was probably my best bet when it came to attempting to move around the building using the vents. I could barely believe I was even contemplating such a thing. But if I was unable to convince Borys to let me into his private quarters when he was with me, then it would be impossible to get him to give me access unsupervised.
It was going to be dangerous, but if this was ever going to end, I didn’t have a choice.
Chapter Twenty-one
Miko
IT WAS EASIER AND LESS suspicious moving through the tunnels now it was only me and Nad, unlike last time, when we’d had both Tara and Diarus with us. We were just two Trads going about our day, and unless we were spotted by the wrong people—such as Polityk Borys’s men—we were unlikely to draw extra attention.
I worried about Aleksy and the others and hoped the majority had managed to get to safety. Only Aleksy and a small circle of rebels around him knew of Tara and Diarus being implanted into Polityk Borys’s home. My hope for none of them being caught wasn’t only to do with their safety. I also feared that, under the threat of torture, they might reveal our plans.
We crossed beneath the city wall, heading toward the hamlet of Azarc.
I felt like shit going to Ewa for help again, knowing she’d already gone above and beyond to help us with Tara, but we didn’t have anywhere else to go.
We left the tunnels and navigated the side streets until we reached our destination. We stopped in front of the house, and I lifted my fist and rapped my knuckles against the front door.
Ewa opened the door. She took one look at me, jammed her hand on her hip, and shook her head. “Oh no. Not again.”
I didn’t have time to argue with her, but instead pushed past and entered her home. Nad followed, giving Ewa an awkward smile. It was strange to think how Tara had been pregnant the last time we’d been here and had given birth. Now it felt as though far too much time had passed since I’d last seen her, and my heart ached for her presence.
“The rebel headquarters in Vrale has been raided,” I told her. “We need your help.”
“I helped you the last time you asked.”
“I know and I appreciate that, but we need you again.”
“We need your car,” Nad said.
She frowned, her wide brow drawing down. “What for?”
“The less you know the better.” I added, “And we could also do with some explosives.”
Her eyes widened. “Miko? Seriously?”
I folded my arms across my chest. “Don’t act like that, Ewa. You’re no innocent. We both know you can get your hands on whatever you want.”
Her sho
ulders dropped, and she pulled a face. “That may be, but it doesn’t mean I should get you whatever you want.”
Nad stepped in. “Please. It’s for the human woman who was here with us last time. She might be in trouble and needs our help.”
“And that help involves explosives?”
I couldn’t give her too many details. If she knew too much, it might put her in danger.
“It’s just to create a distraction. She’s put herself in a huge amount of danger to help the cause, and now we need to help her in return.”
Ewa pursed her lips. “When do you need all this for?”
“As soon as possible,” I said.
She exhaled a long sigh of resignation. “Fine. I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thanks, Ewa. We owe you one.”
She cocked her eyebrows. “I think you owe me far more than one, but don’t worry, I’m keeping tabs.”
Chapter Twenty-two
The hours passed, and no one visited me.
I was relieved I didn’t have to endure more time with Borys, but his absence concerned me. What was happening that had taken him away? Was he even still in the building, or had he gone somewhere? I hoped his nonappearance didn’t have anything to do with Diarus or any of the other rebels.
As soon as night fell, I was determined to put my plan to try to navigate the property into action. I’d done what I could to get an idea of the layout of the building, and now I needed to take control of my situation.
The Trad guard arrived with dinner, and as the door opened, a commotion came from farther down the corridor. That wasn’t good. If something bad was going on, it might throw a spanner into my plans.
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