by Avery Rae
"Well, I'm not here to entertain you, and I definitely won't be your companion, so you're not going to have much luck there."
Talys said nothing in reply. He instead moved behind a long bar and began mixing himself a cocktail of some kind, pouring a glowing blue liquid into a round glass.
"Good conversation, Talys. I'm glad we cleared things up." I huffed and irritably brushed a lock of my wild, curly red hair from my face. I both loved and hated it. It never framed my face or coiled in perfect, shiny wonder. It just poofed and sprang out wherever it wanted, and that always seemed to be wherever I didn't want it to go.
Talys looked up from his cocktail and smiled. "See that? I'm already amused."
"Well, that's great for you." I pursed my lips and his smile only grew. "I'm not sure what you're getting out of this, though."
"You underestimate how amusing your anger is to me."
"Amusing?" I rolled my eyes. "What are you? Some sort of supervillain?"
"Supervillain?"
"Yeah. All you need is a monocle, a chortling laugh, and an inescapable urge to reveal your plans in excruciating detail."
He sighed, took a sip of his drink, set it down, then gave me a long look that said, "You really are an idiot."
"Alright, wrong crowd for that one." I held my hands up in front of my chest and gave them a wave, letting him know I surrendered. For now. "Look, clearly some mistakes were made and things are a little messy right now. Can we just bypass all this snarking and make a deal?"
Surprise registered in his expression, then disappeared just as quickly. He let out a short laugh. "You think you're in a position to bargain? With me?"
Oh, honestly. He really was a supervillain. If this was how he was going to be, fine, I would play his game. I gave him the hardest look I could muster. "You should remember that I might be stuck on this ship with you, but you're also stuck on it with me."
His brows shot up his forehead. "Was that a threat? My, my . . . I've underestimated you. I forgot how prone to violence your kind are. Unfortunately, while we might be stuck on this ship together, I have a pilot and a bodyguard. You have no one."
"Sure, but neither of them managed to notice the human just walking onto your ship." I gestured to myself with a pointed look. "You even said so yourself. I just walked on. It doesn't sound like you have the best protection. So, how about we come up with a deal?"
"You should be asking yourself why I don't have the best protection." He rummaged beneath the counter, placed a glowing berry in his drink, then looked down at his concoction with a satisfied smile before taking another sip. "Besides, what leverage do you think you have? You're not going to hurt anyone, so don't try threatening me again." He paused. "Although, that mean look of yours is adorable."
I deflated, my expression going blank. Talys was right. I was all talk. Not only was I not a violent person, I was such a dopey pacifist that I couldn't even kill ants. Movements heavy with defeat, I sank into an armchair. I was screwed.
All that effort Ulyr had gone through, and I'd jacked everything up in one fell swoop. If only I'd been more careful. Or if only I'd just gone back to Ulyr after the failed meeting. Neither of us had anticipated it, though. At worst, we thought that maybe Ambassador Elyos and I would get separated on accident and I'd have to find my way to the ship. That was it. I remembered thinking it seemed too easy. Turns out I was right.
"Are you giving up already?" Talys said. "What a shame."
I pursed my lips at him as he sat down in the chair beside mine and kicked his feet up.
"So, what're you going to do with me?" I asked.
He took a long sip of his drink. "Nothing for now. I'm going to continue on my course as planned, and you'll stay on the ship until we get back to Korystus. At which point you'll be surrendered to the government, wherein you'll explain that you were a stowaway."
"Wait, you're worried they're going to think you tried to get me off Korystus, aren't you?" I smirked, a new idea forming in my mind. Blackmail. "Well, worry not, Talys. They're definitely going to think it was you when I tell them it was."
Instead of immediately replying, Talys leaned forward, set his drink down, then shifted in his seat to face me. "Vera, darling, I'm not going to play this exciting game of threats with you. It's not my thing."
"I'm not playing a game, Talys." My expression hardened for real this time. "I've lived my entire life under someone else's thumb. I want to be free, and I'm prepared to do anything to get there. Anything."
"Save your threats for someone who cares. I'd rather not have to defend myself from false accusations, but do as you will. You won't come out on top." He went quiet for a moment, a slow smile working its way across his lips. "If you want to play my sorts of games, you're free to join me in my quarters. We'd both win that way."
"Excuse me?" I sputtered, jolting up straight in my chair. "I'm not going to sleep with you for my freedom."
"For your freedom?" He clicked his tongue, brows knitting together. "No, of course not. I was thinking you'd just sleep with me."
I sputtered even more, and huffed loudly for good measure. "Well, you thought wrong."
"I like things simple, Vera, and you're making them very complicated. I'm not one for deals, lies, and threats. And, for your information, I have no need, nor desire, to be with a woman who doesn't want me. If you think they're not lining up for my attention on every planet I've been to, you're mistaken."
I gagged a little on that one. "Wow, so, do they like you because you're so humble or what?"
"Humble? There was absolutely no humility in what I said. I know how I make women feel." He leaned over the armrest and flicked his eyes over my face, deliberately lingering on my lips. "I know what they think when they look at me. I know what you're thinking right now."
I shifted away from him. "Then you must know you're making me feel uncomfortable."
"If that's what you want to tell yourself."
Talys leaned even closer, angling his head as if he was going to kiss me. My breath—the betrayer it was—hitched in my throat. Before I could do anything, he suddenly bumped the tip of his nose against mine and pulled away.
I covered my nose and eyed him in disbelief. "What was that?"
"Everything I needed to know." His lips curled into a tight, smug smile.
"What . . .?"
Talys pulled his bottom lip between his teeth and shook his head with a muffled laugh. I still had a hand to my nose, mouth flopping open and shut like a fish, unsure of what to say or do. He got to his feet, grabbed his drink, and sauntered away like he was victorious.
I wasn't going to let him get away with thinking he'd just accomplished something. I jumped up and stalked after him without a real plan in mind, my hands clenched into fists. "What do you mean by everything you need to know?"
He touched a hand to the screen at the doorway without saying a word. I stood there, fuming, as it slid open. He crossed through into the hallway, then turned around, hand poised to shut the door.
"I think you know exactly what I meant," he said.
I gave him a look like he was dense. "Then why would I ask?"
"Denial, mostly." He feigned a frown. "You really should be more honest with yourself. It's a much better way to live."
"I don't know what's going on in your head, but I'm pretty sure you've got me all wrong."
"No, I don't. When you come to your senses, remember that the door to my quarters is always open." He flashed me a grin that was frustrating as it was undeniably sexy. "Drag it out, if you must, that'll only make it better. When the curiosity finally gets unbearable, come to me, and I'll happily show every inch of your body what I can do."
A deep flush crawled up from my chest to my cheeks. "Coming on a little strong, aren't you?"
Talys said nothing. He didn't have to. His expression said it all: you like it, Vera, and you want more. He touched the screen on the other side and the door slid shut. My movements stiff, I walked back over to the arm
chairs, then sat down and stared at the closed door. Every inch of my body, huh?
Lifting a hand, I touched it to one cheek, then the other. They might as well have been on fire. I buried my head in my hands and groaned. Talys was right. This guy was rude, smug, and fully planned on ruining my life—yet it was going to take far more willpower than I wanted to admit to resist finding out what his games were. I mean, if I was already doomed, why not have some fun on the way there, right?
Getting a whiff of his delicious scent, I suddenly realized I was not only still holding the scarf, but it was jammed against my face. I dropped it to my lap and covered my face with my hands instead. Now I'm a scarf-sniffing weirdo on top of it all. Am I really that desperate?
The answer was obviously yes.
2
I wasn't sure if it was my newfound sexual frustration or if it was just frustration-frustration that led to me cleaning the lounge, but I made every surface shine. Honestly, I think it was more the fact that I just didn't know what to do with myself. One invitation—a totally inappropriate one, mind you—and I was so flushed there were still unsightly red splotches on my neck. I'd nearly managed to convince myself it was because I'd worked so hard polishing the bar. It wasn't.
I tugged my collar down and inspected the damage with a grimace. The evidence of my embarrassment went all the way down to my chest. I couldn't shake it. The flush was reinvigorated each time I thought back to that moment in the doorway. The way Talys had seemed so sure I would give in. I wasn't even sure how someone could ever get to be that confident. Lots and lots of experience, an evil part of my mind whispered. Warmth flooded my cheeks once more and I let out a quiet curse.
"I'm a walking embarrassment," I sang to myself, doing a little twirl in place, head still tucked into my shirt as I continued my terrible song, "It's a miracle I can function . . . at all . . . or ever."
It was then that the lounge doors whooshed open. My head shot up and I slapped my shirt against my chest, still clutching the fabric as I met a pair of silver eyes. Eyes that didn't belong to Talys. This must be the guard Talys had mentioned. He was dressed in that ugly navy-colored uniform all guards on Korystus wore. But he didn't seem all that threatening. In fact, he averted his eyes.
He cleared his throat a few times too many and asked, "Am I, by chance, interrupting something . . .?"
I quickly let go of my shirt. "No, you're not interrupting. I was just—I was just cleaning."
The guard gave me a look like he wasn't sure what to say. "Fascinating. You're Vera, correct?"
"How did you know?"
"I was just informed, with the help of several explicit words, that you snuck onto our ship."
I grimaced. "Are you going to put me in the brig or something?"
"The . . . what?"
"The ship's prison or whatever."
"We don't have one of those. I only came to introduce myself." He furrowed his brow, looked off to the side, then back at me. "Why? Would you like to be locked up? Would it make you feel more comfortable?"
I blinked at him, at a loss for words. Did he really just ask me that? What sort of guard is this guy?
"I'll take that as a no." He cleared his throat again and gave me an awkward wave. "Well then, I should introduce myself. I'm Artos, and you can come to me for anything you need during our journey."
"Artos?" I thought back to Talys crying out that very name when we took off. "Wait, so, you're the pilot? Why're you in a guard's uniform?"
"Oh, well . . ." He scratched the back of his neck, then shrugged. "I'm both. I'm Talys's assistant in many ways."
"You're the pilot, guard, and the assistant?" I gave him a funny look, unsure I understood him correctly. Or rather, I understood him, but I didn't understand what Talys had going on here.
He'd made it sound like he had himself a little crew here. It was weird enough when it was him and only one guard, plus a pilot, but it's actually just him and this guy. What if I had been someone who meant him harm?
Why wasn't he paranoid like the rest of Korystus with their massive armies guarding their little palaces? I mean, he was an ambassador, after all. They seemed like the sort of people that needed protection. There was something almost frightening about the fact that Talys didn’t seem to think he needed it.
I turned my gaze to the depths of space flying by through the window. If Talys was some sort of unstable person and I'd gotten myself into even worse trouble than I thought, I couldn't exactly escape quickly, could I?
"On a scale from one to ten, how screwed do you think I am?" I asked in a thoughtful tone.
"You don't need to worry." Artos moved to stand beside me and placed a light purple hand on my shoulder. "Talys isn't cruel, but he's only kind to those who earn his trust."
"What do you think my chances are of earning it?"
"Absolutely terrible."
My stomach sank but I managed to give him a tight smile. "You're an honest guy, Artos. I like that."
"Oh, thank you," he replied brightly. "I try."
"While we're being honest . . . " I looked up at him with an arch to my brow. "Do you think I don't stand a chance because I snuck onto his ship—on accident, mind you—or because I won't sleep with him?"
"Oh, you probably will join him in his bed. Not that he'd be angry if you didn't. You just will." He said that sentence like he was reading a nutrition label and telling me that peanut butter may contain peanuts. Just a simple matter of fact that's a little amusing to point out.
"Um, what makes you think that's so likely?"
Artos gave me a matter-of-fact look. "He's very good at getting what he wants."
"And he wants to sleep with me?"
Why did I even ask? Talys had made it pretty clear. Maybe I just wanted to hear it again, even if I didn't plan on acting on his proposal. But surely I couldn't be that desperate. Just kidding, I totally was, even if it was wholly inappropriate.
"He most certainly intends for that to happen." Artos furrowed his brow. "He asked me to put in a good word. I'll warn you instead."
"Warn me? Some wingman you are."
"Well, you should know that Talys has no intentions of ever taking on a partner." He shook his head and sighed. "I've seen him crush many a young lady's heart. So, please, be careful with yours."
"I'll keep that in mind," I replied, smiling stiffly. I'd had nothing but awkward conversations on this ship. I was starting to think it was cursed. "Anyway, if you're not going to lock me up, should I just stay here in the lounge for the rest of the trip, or . . .?"
He looked around the room, then gave me an odd look. "If you'd like to stay here, you may. I imagine you'll get quite stiff sleeping in a chair for that long, though."
"How long exactly?"
"A few cycles."
"Seriously?" I flopped into an armchair with a groan. "Where in the universe is he going?"
"To a meeting on Nexion 6."
I perked up. "Nexion 6?"
That was where Ambassador Elyos was supposed to be taking me. Which, of course, meant Elyos would probably be there, too. If I could just avoid getting in trouble until then, I could run and go find him when we landed. Break out of the ship while they're getting off, and race for freedom. Simple. It wasn't like Talys had any guards to stop me. I grinned to myself. This might still work out.
"Are you planning something nefarious by any chance?" Artos asked suddenly.
I dropped the grin and shook my head. "Nope."
"Talys doesn't take kindly to underhanded behavior. If, perchance, you were considering doing something along those lines, I would caution against it."
"I told you I'm not," I replied with a shrug. I hoped it came across as cool and unaffected but it probably didn't. I mean, what was Talys going to do to me if I tried something? Take me back to Korystus? Oh, wait, he already planned on doing that. That meant I had nothing to lose by trying to run for it. The only thing I could lose was my chance at a new life if I didn't do something.
&n
bsp; Artos nodded. Slowly. "That's very good to hear. I hope you'll soon convince yourself that's the right choice as well."
My eyes widened. Clearly he saw right through me. But, hey, they didn't know what I knew about Elyos, so as long as I kept it quiet, there wouldn't be any problems. I winced internally at the thought. As long as I keep quiet . . .
It meant I was going to have to avoid Talys as much as possible. He'd managed to pry too much out of me already. And when I say pry, I mean he barely had to try. It was scary to think what he could do if he really wanted to, especially when it came to someone as bad at secret-keeping as me.
Artos clapped his hands together. "Well then, I should show you to your room."
"I get a room?" I asked in surprise.
"What sort of barbarians do you take us for?"
I shrugged a shoulder. "The type of people who enslave other people?"
He gasped. "Enslave?! I'll admit what my people have done wasn't very nice, but—"
"Wasn't very nice? C'mon, man . . ."
"It's not like everyone thought it was a good idea, you know." He sniffed. "There are layers to this sort of thing."
"Look, I really don't give a hoot. Humans aren't perfect either."
Artos titled his head to the side and mouthed what I had just said, fiddling with the translation disc in his ear. "Give a . . . what? You're not making any sense."
I sighed. "I'm just trying to tell you that I don't care about all that. Y'know, it's just whatever. It's been done. Can't be taken back. I just want to go live my life."
Artos nodded. "That's understandable. But you know the ambassador can't take such risks, don't you? If it were ever found out that he facilitated a human's unlawful exit . . ."
"Sure, I understand. No risk-taking for the ambassador."
I was lying through my teeth. Ulyr had taken a risk, too, and I wasn't going to let it be in vain. He wanted me to live the life I'd never had, or thought I would. That dream forever nestled in the back of my mind.
After sneaking onto the ship, I'd been put to work as a janitor (hence my fantastic closet-room for the first six months) to pay for the crime of wanting not to be left behind with the Adrax. No shame in cleaning for a living—or, well, under threat of being shoved out of the airlock into the endless void of outer space—but that wasn't my dream.
