by Calinda B
“Let him in!” I shout over the din. “That’s my brother!”
“Negative, Citizen 22395. Unauthorized citizens are forbidden from entry.”
“Well, authorize him!” I shout, hands pressed over my ears. “And stop the alarm.”
The whoop-whoop ceases and an uneasy silence descends all around me. Several minutes later, my door alarm buzzes like angry bees. Another voice, a real voice, blasts into the room.
“Citizen 22395, open the door. Citizen 29143 has requested entry,” a deep male voice says.
When I open the door, two segif-wielding, granite-faced, red-clad guards stand on either side of Reve.
One of them clutches Reve’s upper arm, holding him like a prize.
“Citizen 22395, is this your brother?” guard number one asks.
Reve tears away from their grasp, in mad-dog, ready to bite fury. “Of course I’m her brother. You know I am. You could’ve scanned my implant. Tell them, Sakhi.”
“Yes, that’s right. Please, let him in,” I say. “Stop treating him like a criminal.”
“We’ll remain right here,” guard number two says, his face impassively cold.
They both step inside my door, shoving Reve in the process.
I glower at them to no effect.
“Nice place, sis,” Reve says, scanning my suite with squinty eyes. Arms folded, he stalks through my front room.
“I…dinner’s not quite ready,” I say, my face reddening.
My stomach binds into a pea-sized knot.
He tips his head and sniffs the air. “I can tell. Can’t smell a thing.”
“The kitchen’s…” I begin, pointing toward the room in the back.
“Back there? In a separate room? Not like the shitty little Uni-space you used to have? How nice. Whoa..” His gaze slices toward my bedroom, complete with a door. “A separate bedroom. Such luxury! And look,” he says, stomping toward the window, “you can see what’s going on outside. Wow, sis.”
He turns and glares at me.
“I’ll share, you know I will,” I say, bringing my chewed-to-the-quick nail toward my teeth.
“Oh, right. With me accompanied by armed guards. I don’t think so.” Hurt, betrayal, and bewilderment roll from him in crashing waves.
I feel so small, right now. I want to curl up and die.
“I meant to have dinner started,” I say, making a lame attempt to cover the fact I lied about a meal. I take a step toward him but he backs away.
“Uh-huh,” he says with a sneer. “So now we’re on a lying basis, are we? Sorry, sis, but I’ve changed my mind.”
“About what?” I make another attempt to approach him but he holds up his hand.
“Stop. Don’t come any closer, or we’ll both be sorry.” Mouth parted, he takes deep gulps of air, as if what he sees here is too much for him. Either that, or he’s making a huge effort to control his temper. Whirling around, he faces guard number-one. “I’m ready to leave now. I won’t be returning, rest assured.”
“Reve,” I plead, tears stinging my eyes. “You can’t mean that.”
He whips around and gives me a look so fierce I stumble backward.
“Think not? I knew it was a mistake to come to the Complex but I didn’t know how bad of a mistake it would be. You’re changing, sis. I can tell. I know I’m losing you. We may as well get the process over quickly.”
Tears fall from my face.
“Reve, no,” I say, rushing toward him.
This time he doesn’t push away from me. Instead, he wraps his arms around me. “I’m sorry, sis.” He sniffles against my half-inch hair. “Stay strong and watch yourself. You’ll be all right.”
“But Reve…”
He unwraps his arms, holding me away from him, his hands on my shoulders. His hazel eyes meet mine. “Don’t fight it, sis. Our destinies are going different directions.”
“But Reve,” I say again.
He presses a finger against my lips. “You can do it, baby-sis, whatever it is you’re being asked to do.” He brings his lips close to my ear and softly whispers, “Because I know if you’re here, you’re being asked to do something huge.”
He blinks back a few tears.
“Citizen 29143. Please come with us,” guard number one says. He reaches for Reve’s arm, but Reve bats his hand away.
“I’m coming. I don’t need restraint,” he snarls. Without another word, he turns on his heel and marches resolutely away from me, guard one and two following close behind.
I’m left completely, utterly alone, with only my dreams for company and not a friend in sight.
Chapter 18
After Reve left, I sob until I can’t see. I curse Thras and the ground on which he walks. I pound my pillow with my fists, bemoaning ever laying eyes planet Lorn, two hundred thousand S-CO be damned. Finally, eyes swollen, head aching, I fall into a dead sleep, thanks to the Uni-med issued drugs given me after my last hospital visit.
In my dreams, I’m ready for anything to occur.
“I thought I lost you,” he says, coming up behind me. His stupid conjured lotus blossoms continues their lazy swirl, lighting the water with the hues of the rainbow.
“Still here,” I say, defiant, arms folded across my chest. “What do you want?”
I stare into the dark night, illuminated by the green, throbbing symbol.
“I want you,” he says in a low, growling voice. “And I want to know with certainty what you want.”
I stiffen. “Why are you and everyone else so obsessed with what I want?”
“It’s the difference between existing and truly living,” he says.
I scoff. “Right. I’m about to get a lesson in philosophy.”
“No,” he says, his warm hands on my shoulders. “It’s a lesson in love.”
My breath catches. It’s like he’s tossed a bomb at my cold, unfeeling heart. My eyes close as my arms wrap around me. A sob escapes my lips. “I’ll never be truly alive. Not when the faces of so many dead people live inside of me.”
He brushes my hair away and softly kisses my neck. “Shhh, sweetheart.”
“You don’t get it. I lost both parents. My world was blown up. I had to wander through the dead, to look into eyes that held no life.” I shiver. “I slept next to dead bodies to stay warm. The stench was overwhelming. It was awful. I hate Metas. I shouldn’t have let you in to my dream space.”
Hot tears splash my face.
“You’re not the only one who suffered,” he says, his voice cracking.
“I don’t believe you. Your kind won.” I spit my words out in an angry snarl. I cross my arms tightly.
“None of us won, Sakhi,” he says, his tone brittle. “That’s the part you refuse to acknowledge.”
We rest together, in silent anger, until my ire fades. He’s too intoxicating.
He groans, the sound rumbling against my back.
The energy between us is voltaic. It’s like being dropped into the belly of a transformer.
His heat creates whirling shivers up my spine. I gasp, releasing my arms. They fall like feathers, my fingertips coming to rest against his strong, muscular thighs. I tentatively touch him, noting the contours of his firm muscles. Then, my hands curl, unwilling to give into this potent desire.
He caresses my scalp with his palm, smoothing it along the short, soft hairs. “Let your guard down. Let me into your juicy sweetness,” he purrs.
His touch feels exquisite.
He softly draws the pads of his fingers along the silhouette of my skull, now ridged with scars.
My head pushes into him, like a cat, rubbing back and forth. I shudder, my inner walls dissolving and blowing away.
“Much better,” he says. “Surrender to me, and I’ll give you the world.”
He wraps one of his strong arms around me and pulls me into him. He rocks me back and forth, letting me feel the hard heat between his legs.
It renders me speechless. It feels large…perfect. I imagine it bel
ongs to me and no one else.
“Yes,” he says. “Oh, yes.”
Does he know what I’m thinking? Is this that mind connection Thras spoke of when he talked about the seduction experiment?
“Who are you?” I ask.
“It doesn’t matter,” he says.
“It does to me,” I say. What if he’s a vampire? The thought makes me shiver. “Do you live on the Complex or elsewhere?”
“Hush,” he soothes. “Be with me in the now.”
His fingertip traces the shell of my ear. Then, his warm, succulent lips nibble my earlobe. He kisses his way down my neck.
He withdraws slightly, and the warmth of his breath blows along my back. My clothes melt away. In an instance, we’re both naked, skin melting into skin.
I hiss, feeling his heat, his hardness his everything behind me. My body falls into his, savoring the hair on his belly and chest, undulating my back against him.
He fits his erection between the crack of my ass. It glides against the silk of my ass, eliciting wet readiness from my core.
“Oh, goddess,” he breathes into my ear. His hands cup my breasts. “You’re the most beautiful woman in all the galaxy.”
“You can’t know that. You haven’t seen me,” I whisper, rubbing against his solid chest and belly.
“I can sense you. Everything about you is exquisite.” His hand lands on my cheek and urges me to face him.
I do so, turning toward him..
The green symbol ceases glowing and we’re plunged into darkness, obscuring his face.
I don’t care. He’s about to kiss me, I know he is. My lips part. My eyes close.
His mouth is against mine. I’m ready to surrender, so ready to give myself to him. The image of Paki on top of me floods my mind. I shriek with frustration and catapult back to my body, sitting up with a start. I’m awake, in my bed. My breath comes fast and furious.
“You asshole!” I yell into the room. “If I ever see your slimy face again, you’re a dead man!”
I shake with anger. A quick glance at the time lets me know it’s three-fifty-five. My alarm will go off in five minutes, so I may as well get up.
Thirty minutes later, I approach Thras’ office.
A black-uniformed guard spies me and nods.
“Mr. Blüthe is waiting for you.” He taps the chip in his palm, and says, “She’s here, sir.”
The door slides open.
Thras gives me an expansive grin, beckoning me into his space. “Enter. We’ve got a lot to cover today.”
Biting my lip, I glance at the guard and then back to Thras. I take a deep breath and step across the threshold.
The metal door glides shut behind me. I’m effectively swallowed into my new role at the Complex as assistant to the man I’ll never understand.
Chapter 19
It takes me all of two weeks to decide I like my new job. Except for the political aspect of it, of course. Political debates are just this side of war.
Otherwise, the work is better than at the greenhouse. Glued to my boss’ side, I attend meetings, take notes, compile data, and learn about the inner workings of both Uni and Ama Seldova. There are factions surrounding each that act and accord themselves like street gangs. In fact, after watching some of the dirty tricks the Uni do to stay on top and in control, I’ve decided politicians are nothing better than glorified gang members.
I stay so busy I don’t have time to think, which suits me well. Because when I do have time, my heart aches for my brother. I haven’t seen him since the day he was escorted from my suite. I long to share with him what I’ve learned. But I fear what he’d do with the information.
Today, I’m been distracting myself with preparations for the mock debate at noon. Finally, the digital display reads eleven fifty-five. I make my way to the debate room, where Thras awaits me.
The atmosphere in the small, white, windowless meeting room is tense, like it could explode at any minute. Thras’ top advisers, Humans and Metas alike, all dressed in black, are on one side of a rectangular Smuntine table, frothing with sweat.
Thras’ opponents, a similar mix of species hired for the mock debate, dressed in gray, are on the opposite side, exhibiting their own signs of stress—red faces, necks corded with muscle.
“Answer me this, Blüthe,” an imposing, elderly warlock asks, getting to his feet. He places his palms on the smooth metal table and leans in Thras’ direction. “During the P-extinction war, you were accused of using torture to extract enemy secrets. The ban on torture is absolute and non-derogable. How do you justify your actions?”
Thras takes a strategic pause, staring straight into the eyes of his adversary.
I’ve seen this pause before, night after night, at his secret meetings with advisors and adversaries.
“If you’d looked deeper into the matter, Mr. Condack, you’d have discovered all charges were dropped. I don’t believe in torture and have never employed or condoned its use. The accusation was a ploy the human faction on the opposing force used to discredit me. Surely you can do better research than this,” he says, adding a tsk. “Or are you that hard up for funds?”
He snickers.
Someone on his side chuckles.
Both sides explode into defense and offense.
I’m hunkered over a Uni-time-keep, watching the seconds fly by. When it gets to three minutes, I shout, “Time,” hoping I’m heard above the ruckus.
Thras glances at the time display, hovering above the door.
“That’s it,” he says, rapping the table with his knuckle.
The place settles into an uneasy quiet.
.“Good job, everyone,” he finally says.
A collective sigh releases into the space, making it seem to expand.
Thras nods to me, a slight smile playing at his lips.
I return the smile and begin gathering up my supplies—my Uni-note assembler, diagram display, and Uni-recorder. Thras and I will listen to this mock debate later…much later, in keeping with my usual hours of pre-dawn until nearly half-night.
“I believe we’re almost ready for the next convention,” he says to the assembled group. “I want this win, everyone. Together, we can make it happen. So, tomorrow, same time same place?”
People nod and murmur assent.
“The next debate is a big one. We can do it, everyone,” he says, smiling. “It’s nearly go-time.”
He lifts his fist in a salute.
The group breaks out in cheers and applause.
“You’re good, Blüthe,” Lucienne Condack says, slowly stepping to Thras’ side, once people start to leave. Gray-haired and bearded, his face as wrinkled as a peach pit, he may be old but he’s powerful. “But your opponent, Talon Wiesner, is a son of a bitch. He’ll stop at nothing to get this nomination. He’ll dig into your grandma’s dirty deeds. Shovel up shit on your dead pet. He’s ruthless. And he’s charismatic. It’s a deadly combination.”
Thras sighs. “I guess I’ll have to do better. Have the team see what they can dig up on his dead pet.”
He smirks and turns to leave.
When I get to my feet, supplies in hand, his head whips in my direction. I’ve learned over the past few weeks, he’s attuned to me, and me to him. I hold up my hand, flashing five fingers twice, indicating we’re to be back in his office in ten.
He nods and gets back to his conversation.
I head out the door and down the hall towards our office.
A segif-toting guard nods to me as I pass.
I return the nod and continue.
I arrive at Thras’ office door and use the key-code programmed into my palm to enter. Once inside, I settle into a chair and let my mind drift, lost in memories of my dream lover.
“What are your thoughts, Miss Borren?” Thras says, interrupting my musing, as he steps into his office.
“About?” I’m perched on my chair next to his desk, my official screen reader in my lap flashing maps, diagrams and notes—things I
’ve ignored for the last five minutes.
I blink like an idiot.
“You and your daydreams.” Thras shakes his head, an amused smile on his face. “What mysteries do you keep in that pretty head of yours?”
He strides across the room to stand next to me.
I blush, focusing my attention on my lap, my short curls bobbing. “I’m sorry. I’ll pay better attention.”
“I know you will,” he says. “I’ve been given some good news.”
“About?” I say.
“The Snow Hemp and SV graft. Kipp informed me the graft has yielded two fine specimens. He’d like to extract some of their cells and begin the next steps.”
My interest perks. Maybe I could take some to Reve as a peace offering.
“That’s great!” I say, sitting tall. “Who will we test it on? You?”
Thras strokes his chin. “No, I don’t think that will be necessary. Let’s use someone else.”
“My brother might be willing,” I blurt. “He’s got a ghastly war injury. Last I knew, he was in agony. His work in the sewers is brutal.”
Thras gives me one of his piercing gazes. “That’s kind of you but no. We can’t take a chance with a citizen.”
“But you were willing to test it,” I plead.
“That’s different,” he says, waving his hand.
“Because you had nothing wrong in the first place?” I say.
“No. I assure you I had something…I have something wrong. It’s just gotten better,” he says, his face as blank as the walls.
“Uh-huh,” I say.
I want to stab his abdomen and see if it still hurts.
His Uni-com chip buzzes. He presses the pad of flesh in his palm.
The holo of General Tso, one of the heads of our new military regime shimmers in the air. “Blüthe, we’ve had more reports of humans being drained in the night. As usual, they’re left alive, but weakened. We’ve got to determine who’s doing this. It’s making the Humans extremely afraid. I’ve got wind of an uprising in District Five.”
My eyes narrow. That’s my brother’s district.
Thras seems unconcerned. “We’ll handle it, general. I’ll send one of my best stealth teams into the night. We’ll catch whoever’s responsible, I assure you.”
