by Hope Hart
Zarix stares at me for one fraught moment, and I give him a shaky smile. He lies back down, and the healers slowly move back to his side, all of them wide-eyed. I feel a pang of annoyance, and I almost snap at them. He’s just a man, for Pete’s sake. They’re acting like he’s a monster.
Elliz waits until my shoulders hit the bed, and the world begins rotating around me in lazy circles. Then she gets back to work as my eyes slide shut.
Chapter Nine
Beth
I must only sleep for a few hours because the tent is still dark when I open my eyes.
I jolt when I meet Zarix’s gaze. He’s standing next to my bed, his face hard as he looks down at me.
“Were you watching me sleep?” I ask, my voice hoarse.
He nods silently, and I feel my eyes widen.
“That’s creepy, dude.” I’m joking, but he ignores me, still studying my face.
“Your actions saved my life,” he tells me.
“Yeah,” I say, and my lips twist as I glance away. “But let’s be real—I’m part of the reason you were hurt.”
He shakes his head, and I blink up at him as he leans closer. I almost gasp as I finally recognize the look on his face.
Desire.
He does want me.
He leans closer, and the moment stretches as we look into each other’s eyes.
Finally, I snap.
I lift up my hand, slide it around his neck, and pull him down to me.
He meets my lips, and I groan, driving my hands into his hair as his mouth slams down on mine. There’s nothing tentative about it. Nothing gentle. Nothing sweet. It’s just pure need.
My mouth opens, and his tongue sweeps in, savagely claiming me. I groan, and he tenses, his whole body shaking. I reach for him as he pulls away, but he simply strokes his hand down my face, looks at me for another long moment, and then turns back toward his own bed.
Leaving me to growl in frustration.
I fist my hand and glare in his direction, but he’s closed his eyes.
“You’re not asleep, you big faker,” I mumble. But I close my own eyes, sliding straight into sleep.
When I wake up next, I sigh as something cool touches my brow. I crack open my eyes, wincing at the light.
Elliz gazes down at me solemnly.
“How bad is it?” My voice is hoarse. How long was I out for?
“You will walk without a limp one day,” she says, and I feel the strangest urge to laugh. That’s it?
She tilts her head at my silence. “I have resewn the wound, and I also gave you an elixir to prevent fever.”
I raise my eyebrows. Infection. She’s talking about preventing infection.
“Thank you. I really appreciate it. How long have I been asleep?”
“Three days,” a deep voice says, and I turn at the sound of Zarix’s deep voice.
He’s still lying on the same bed, although someone has changed his pants. I glance down. In fact, someone has changed me too. I smell a lot better than I did.
I blush. Someone definitely gave me a sponge bath.
Elliz places a couple more pillows under my head as I stare at Zarix. His face is still pale, but he doesn’t look like he’s about to die anytime soon.
“Three days? Where’s Javir?”
Zarix nods toward another bed, and I fight back a smile. Javir is curled into a ball, his knife clutched in his small fist.
“The little brat stole that knife back from me,” I say right as the brat opens his eyes and grins.
Elliz smiles at me and moves away, and moments later, Javir is by my side.
“You wouldn’t wake up,” he says gravely.
“She was very tired,” Elliz says from where she’s mixing together something at a long table on the other side of the tent.
I nod at Javir. “I was. And my leg needed to heal. But I’m fine now.”
He looks dubious for a moment but then nods and moves toward Zarix’s bed.
“I’m sorry,” Javir says simply.
Zarix reaches out and ruffles his hair. “I know. What will you do next time?”
Javir thinks for a moment. “Follow orders.”
Zarix nods, and I frown. That’s it? That’s all they’re going to say?
Males. I’ll never understand them.
“Can I get up?” I ask Elliz.
She nods and moves toward me. “Gently though. You must stay off this leg as it heals.”
I nod and reach for my stick. She shakes her head and reaches behind my bed.
My mouth drops open, and I laugh. Crutches. They’re wooden without the soft padding, but they’re still crutches. Sure, they’re a bit medieval-looking compared to those on Earth, but they’ll allow me to completely keep weight off my bad leg so it can heal.
“These are amazing, Elliz. Thank you.”
She nods, and the smile falls from her face as another healer walks in.
“Zarix must have his wound cleaned,” Elliz says softly while Javir talks to Zarix.
“Perhaps…” She gestures at Javir, and I nod. Probably not a good idea for Javir to see Zarix in any more pain. Especially when he already feels responsible.
“I need to find a bathroom,” I say. “We should also get something to eat. Will you show me where to go, Javir?”
Zarix’s dark gaze meets mine and then flicks to the healer. His expression doesn’t change, and I point to the cup on the small table by his bed, gesturing for him to drink it.
He simply raises his eyebrow and points toward the exit.
I reach for my crutches and glower at him as Javir leaves the tent.
“Fine,” I tell Zarix. “Deal with the pain. I hope it makes you feel like a man.”
He narrows his eyes at me, and then the corner of his mouth tips up, amusement flickering in his eyes.
“You care for me, female,” he says softly, and I scowl.
“Learn how to smile properly,” I advise him, turning to hobble out of the tent. His soft snort sounds behind me, and I grin.
The camp is huge, and it takes a while for me to get around. Luckily there seems to be a common area close by, and Javir points me toward a row of outhouses.
Whoever cleaned me up has changed me into a long, gauzy dress, and I sigh as I lean my crutches against the wall, balancing on one leg as I haul the material up my legs. I’m exhausted by the time I finish and meet Javir again.
I don’t know what was in the cup Elliz gave me, but I’m not drinking any more.
We enter a long tent, and I immediately have flashbacks of my brief stint at summer camp. People are sitting at tables throughout the tent, chowing down while they talk loudly.
The talking becomes a low murmur when I hobble in and all eyes turn to me.
“Beth,” a voice calls, and Javir and I turn as Tazo steps forward.
“Sit down and let me bring you some food,” he says. “I’m surprised it wasn’t brought to your tent.”
“Zarix needed his wound cleaned,” I murmur softly, glancing at Javir, and Tazo nods in understanding.
“Here, sit.” The warrior gestures to someone behind me, and a plate is plunked down on the table in front of me.
There’s no way I could get through this amount of food in an entire day. The plate has some sort of meat, a few vegetables, and some bread. It’s not a huge variety, but the portion sizes…
“Wow.”
“Eat,” Tazo says, and I smile at him. Javir shovels food in his mouth beside me, and I take a bite.
The meat is tender and juicy, the vegetables crispy, and the bread fresh and still warm. We eat in silence until I finally push my plate away, groaning.
“That was delicious,” I say, my eyes widening as I realize how much I just ate. There’s still food left on the plate, but I feel so full I could happily curl up and go back to sleep.
“You said there was another human woman here,” I say to Tazo, who wipes his mouth as he sits back, taking a gulp from his cup.
He nods an
d glances up as Perik sits next to us.
Perik raises his eyebrow at me. He turns his head to check that no one is listening and then leans close. “She’s a feisty one, that female. Has the qatai in knots.”
“Can I see her?”
Perik shrugs. “You’d have to ask the qatai.”
I glance at Tazo, who nods. “I’ll take you to him.”
I reach for my crutches, and he frowns. “I can carry you if you like?”
“Uh. Thanks, but I’m fine. A little exercise is good for me anyway.”
And I have no desire to be hauled through the camp like an invalid.
I follow Tazo back through the camp and around the back of the largest tent—the one that seems to sprawl for miles. I know it’s not really that big, but after not having seen any large buildings since I was taken from Earth, it seems almost overwhelming in its size.
Two guards are posted at the entrance, but they step aside for Tazo, nodding respectfully. I’m guessing he’s pretty high up on the totem pole here.
Tazo holds open the flap of the tent, and I hobble past him, blowing out a breath as I step inside.
“Wow.”
The tent looked almost sparse and plain from the outside—a dull beige color. Inside, though, it’s almost overwhelming to my senses.
I’m standing in a small room, and my eyes widen as I realize the tent has been sectioned off.
Deep-blue material covers the walls in this section, and thick rugs lie underneath my feet. The heady smell of incense drifts closer, and distantly I can hear the soft strain of music, so quiet it feels almost as if I’m imagining it.
Tazo steps forward, finding a slit in one of the blue sheets of material. This place is like a maze, and it must be an excellent way to prevent any assassination attempts for the qatai. Anyone who managed to make their way in here would then have to successfully navigate the rooms and passageways—one of which we’re moving down now.
“Nothing on this planet is what I would expect,” I mutter, and Tazo grins at me, his white teeth flashing in the dull light as he turns to the left and pushes open another entrance.
“It’s the unexpected that makes life interesting, don’t you think?”
“That’s one way of looking at it.”
The light is brighter here, and I step into a small office. Dexar sits at a desk, and I stare at it as he turns to me. The desk has been carved from a huge block of wood, and it’s intricately designed with swirling patterns along the legs and surface.
“Hi,” I say stupidly.
“Hello. What do you need?”
I shift. “I heard that there’s another human woman here. I was wondering if I could see her?”
If I wasn’t watching the qatai closely, I might’ve missed the frustrated longing that flashes across his face. It’s gone an instant later, his expression blank once more as he studies me.
“You may see her. But keep in mind that Alexis will stay here. With me.”
His tone is possessive and slightly dark, and I shiver. I can’t remember which woman was called Alexis, but whoever she is, I hope the qatai is treating her okay. I’ve been looked after since the moment we arrived, but the torment in Dexar’s eyes concerns me.
“Okay,” I say after a long pause. He glances behind me and nods at Tazo, who steps aside for me to leave. I almost laugh. I’ve just been dismissed.
Tazo leads me deeper into the tent until claustrophobia begins to hit. He glances back and seems to see it on my face because he grins at me.
“There are plenty of exits hidden within this kradi,” he says. “It would only take moments before you were outside.”
That helps, and I focus on my surroundings, which are getting lusher and lusher as we walk closer to wherever Alexis is being held.
Finally we reach another couple of guards, who nod and open the flap of material.
Alexis turns, and I meet startled ice-blue eyes.
“Oh my God,” she says.
“Um, hi.”
“Hi? You’re the first human woman I’ve seen for days. Get over here.”
I laugh as she strides to me and wraps me in a hug. She pulls back and nods at Tazo, who nods back and leaves us alone.
“You were with the women who were taken during that fight, right?” She shivers as I nod. “Are you with the others? How’d you get in to see me? Tell me everything.”
I laugh. This woman looks like a valley girl with her long blonde hair, blue eyes, and tanned skin. But her eyes shine with a keen intelligence, and I won’t mistake her exuberance for ditziness.
Her smile drops as I tell her my story. “You haven’t heard anything about the other two women taken with you?”
I shake my head. “We were supposed to look for any trace of them when we were in Nexia, but it all went to hell. I didn’t keep a good enough eye on the kid—the one traveling with us—and he distracted Zarix. He nearly died, and I was completely focused on getting him back here.”
Alexis’s eyes turn sympathetic. “That sucks,” she says, “but look at the data you do have. We know they’re safe. At least they were a few days ago. We know they’re with the Voildi, which helps us rule out any other Braxian tribes. And we know the Voildi will likely sell them, based on the way they were talking. That means they’re going to have to keep them somewhere. We’ll find them.”
I blow out a breath. “I needed to hear that. Thanks. How did you end up here anyway?”
Alexis rolls her eyes, gesturing me toward a corner of the room, which is covered in large pillows sprawled on a soft rug. For the first time, I glance around at the large space.
The elegantly draped material on the walls is a deep ruby red, and while I know there are guards outside, it feels like we’re in our own little world. The pillows on one side are decorated in gorgeous designs that must take hours of work by hand. On the other side of the room, a large wooden chest stands, two smaller trunks on either side. From the gauzy material hanging out of the larger trunk, I’m guessing that’s what passes as Alexis’s closet.
Alexis drops gracefully to the floor, perching on one of the larger pillows. She waves her hand toward a collection of wooden bowls filled with fruit and nuts on the small table next to her.
“You hungry?” she asks.
“Wow.” I take a seat. “You’re living the high life.”
She rolls her eyes again. “I am. But it wasn’t my first choice, believe me.”
I raise an eyebrow, and she fills me in. Apparently, after we were taken, the Braxian warriors who surprised us managed to slaughter the Voildi and took Alexis and three other women back to their tribe.
“Beth,” she says seriously, and I meet her eyes. “Did you see what happened to Charlie?”
I cast my mind back, and the memory of my terror in those moments feels like I’m walking on broken glass.
“Charlie? Which one was she?”
“The one with the head wound and all the blood.”
“Oh. She wasn’t with you guys?”
Alexis shakes her head. “When you were taken, we looked for you, I promise. But the Braxians said we’d have better luck if they came back with more warriors who knew the area and could kill the Voildi. We wanted to find you.”
I didn’t realize how much I needed to hear those words. Individually, we were nothing to each other—just a bunch of women who all happened to be kidnapped by the Grivath. But we bonded in those few moments where we all came to terms with our fate and tried to find a way to escape.
Something in me relaxes, and I smile at her. “I know. You guys were hurt as well. Now tell me about Charlie.”
“She disappeared. We looked everywhere she could have hidden within the area if she was frightened, and we know she wasn’t taken with you guys. Nevada, Ellie, and I actually came to this tribe to ask if they’d heard or seen anything.”
“What did they say?”
“Well, first, Dexar wouldn’t tell us anything until I agreed to stay here with him.”
She glances away. “A year.”
“A year?” My voice is high, and I lower it. “Are you kidding me? For a piece of information?”
She meets my eyes and nods. “Yeah. In Dexar’s own words, he’s a ‘bad man.’”
“No shit. Had they seen her?”
“One of his sentries had. And get this: apparently they’re convinced she was taken by a dragon.”
“A dragon? Get out of here.”
Her eyes widen as she nods solemnly, and I take a moment to think it through. There are species on this plane that I could never have imagined on Earth, and I know I’ve only seen a few. Is it really so hard to believe that dragons exist? Even on Earth, they’ve been creatures of myth for centuries.
“Okay. Say she has been taken by a dragon. How do we get her back? Do you think it…ate her?”
Alexis’s mouth turns down. “I find it strange that she was the only one who was bleeding heavily and she was the one who was taken. I think her blood lured it, and I think it took her for a meal. But the others aren’t so sure. So please ask anyone you find about the dragon.”
“I will. Wow,” I say, still stunned, and then I lean closer. “Are you seriously going to stay here for a year?” I whisper.
She glances at the entrance and brings her head so close that we’re almost touching.
“No way,” she says. “I’m a mechanical engineer. Not to toot my own horn, but I’m the best hope we have of fixing that ship and getting off this planet.”
My mouth drops open, and she lowers her voice so much that I can barely hear her and I’m inches away.
“Nevada and Ellie will come back for me. As soon as we’ve found the other women, we’re all heading back to that ship.”
I stare at her for a long moment as it hits me. We could get out of here. I could get back to Earth. Back to my life.
Zarix’s hard face flashes before my eyes, and I frown.
Alexis moves away. “What are you thinking?”
“Nothing. I’m excited to get back.”
She raises her eyebrow. “That’s not the face of someone who’s excited.”
