Chapter 9
Cassia
What had I done to piss him off? Wait a minute.
He’d pissed me off. Huffing, I palmed both sides of my head.
“Damn it. Fucking damn it.” I’d felt the amazing electricity zap, the closeness we shared evaporate in a split second.
He’d opened up, allowing me to see the hurt and anger that had tarnished his soul, scarring every aspect of his life.
He was a criminal and only those who’d performed the most heinous crimes had been tossed into no man’s land.
I’d seen enough pictures, had heard enough stories to validate that fact. What had he done that was so atrocious?
Then he’d shut down emotionally.
He’d even treated me like I was the enemy, that nothing I could say would change his mind. Sadness was more haunting than I wanted to admit to myself, catching my breath and forcing my mind into ugly spaces. Maybe he was just as anxious as I was, overwhelmed by the concept of mating.
Jesus. I glared at the pretty red dress and stunning jewels, disgusted with every aspect.
I wasn’t a fool. Customs for any species were vital, but the timing was atrocious.
Who the hell cared whether I was mated at this point?
Danger surrounded the city, more coming in days, maybe a week, but no longer.
I was just another prisoner in paradise.
The words at least gave me a small laugh.
The fact I was also a scientist had thrown Erik.
That had to be the reason for his abrupt change in demeanor.
“You did great, idiot.” Saying the words out loud certainly wasn’t comforting.
Of course, Erik would have issues with any scientist after what he’d been through.
I still tingled from his touch, the warmth of his body woven tightly against mine.
While I didn’t understand the strong feelings I had for him, my heart couldn’t deny the flutters or the nervousness in the pit of my stomach every time I was around him.
I held my hand across my lips, allowing various beautiful images to slide into my mind.
A glorious spot on Earth on a summer day by the banks of a river.
A picnic. Cheese. Fresh fruit. Wine. Even chocolate.
All the things that had been stripped away during the last fifteen years.
The last thing I needed to do was fantasize about something I couldn’t change.
Erik was right. I was here on this planet and I was never returning home.
There was no sense in sulking or fighting whatever inevitable was going to come.
Dr. Forrester had wanted me here for a specific reason.
Sadly, the limited flashbacks didn’t allow me to grasp onto the real reason. There’d been rumors that Dr. Forrester had lost his mind, drunk on his own perception of power. I’d been bullied for so long that I hadn’t focused on rumors or innuendos.
Why were the hairs standing up on the back of my neck?
Why did I have a sick feeling this was nothing more than a game played out by the powerful and wealthy?
No, my thoughts didn’t make any sense, but then again, neither did what I’d experienced over the last few days. Murder. Death. Destruction. Love.
Oh, shit…
How could I even think about love at a time like this? A cold shiver brought me back to reality. I’d been tossed into the middle of some horrible nightmare, but I needed to yank back my emotions as well as my raging libido.
Use being a scientist to your benefit. The statement dogged at my mind, biting into my psyche.
Very little of what I’d seen or experienced made rational sense.
The few facts I could corroborate certainly had to do with the obvious transformation both David and Erik had gone through.
But wait. I’d only seen Erik in a manner that suggested he wasn’t human.
Steen and Klar appeared just like the others in the clan.
There’d been the terrified affirmation by Rowena, but even that didn’t have any documentation to follow through with her statements or test results.
The compound had been attacked prior to any further investigation.
Then I’d been in an almost comatose state during the trip to the Galerian city.
Why? I hadn’t been injured. Yes, the snowstorm was still raging when we left, the cold numbing my limbs, but why did everything still seem like a blur?
What did I really know? Nothing that a single scientist would say could prove anything.
Fuck. Fuck!
I paced the room, going back and forth, angry with myself for falling for the hype.
If I could only see the others like Erik, then at least I’d know a certain truth.
What I did with it from there was another story.
Stopping short, I glanced around the room, searching for anything of use.
Searching the drawers of the single dresser, I found nothing of any real help.
I tried the door, hoping Erik had been disgruntled enough to leave it unlocked.
No such luck.
I was running out of light, the sun having already dipped below the horizon. There were no overhead lights that I could see anywhere, although I suspected that the Galerians had many more capabilities than their primitive accommodations indicated.
The window. Perhaps my only hope and the only way to accomplish this feat? Dragging the single piece of furniture directly under it.
And that’s exactly what I did.
The wood was surprisingly light and within five minutes I had the dresser under the window.
As I climbed on top, finally able to peer out the crystal clear glass, I was taken aback as the magnificence of the city.
While there were no skyscrapers reaching toward the heavens, there were several very modern-looking buildings, all made of glass and steel.
Everything Erik told me about being forced to colonize the planet lingered in the back of my mind.
Someone was lying. I was as certain of this as anything and one way or the other, I was going to expose any deception.
The window itself had a simple lock and one on the inside, easy to disengage.
While the opening was relatively small, I would fit easily.
From what I could tell, there were no guards surrounding this particular building and no aliens standing in the distance with weapons pointed in this direction.
The activity was centered elsewhere, gleaming lights in various colors from as far as the eye could see.
As soon as twilight settled in, the haze of darkness creating shadows, I took the opportunity to escape, disobeying Erik’s orders.
I had to know, no matter the price. Every step was cautious, peering around corners for any sign of aliens.
I had no idea where they would consider taking the hybrids, but if I was forced to guess, they were in close quarters, enabling the Galerians to watch them carefully. That is, if they actually existed.
I easily moved between buildings but was unable to see inside.
There were few sounds, no music or conversation, but it was easy to tell that I was in the back of the city.
What few lights were on in any of the buildings did little to light my way.
What I was able to make out was a building that did have guards.
Two of the aliens were positioned by a set of doors.
What could they be guarding? I moved closer, careful to keep my footsteps as silent as possible.
The building was at least seven or eight stories with very few windows.
Even in the shadows, I could see hefty locks positioned on the doors.
What in the hell was going on? I had to get closer, to see what they were hiding.
I crept along the side, making it past the guards easily.
There was a single window that was low enough for me to attempt to get in.
This was the first time that I noticed some sort of moon or perhaps the glow of another planet.
The limited light allowed me to study the window, searching for any kind of a wire.
There was none that I could see but the second I touched the windowpane, lights came on from every direction, a single beeping sound indicating that there had been a breach in security.
There was only one thing I could do.
Run.
I made it as far as two sets of buildings until a bright light was shone in my face, stopping me cold. Holding my hands in front of my eyes, my entire body trembled as I was surrounded by a series of the aliens.
I could just make out one of them, some sort of communication device in his hand.
He spoke into it in a language I couldn’t understand.
A second voice coming just seconds after from the hunk of metal was defining in nature and very authoritative.
Steen’s voice. I would know the inflection anywhere no matter what language he was speaking.
And I’d just entered no man’s land.
Two of the aliens grabbed my arms, dragging me more than allowing me to walk. They said nothing, nor did they look at me as they paraded me away from the buildings and toward the lights of the city. I was terrified, my heart racing. What horrible crime had I committed?
“Let me go,” I pleaded once, knowing my answer would be silence.
Other guards followed them, all taking the same footsteps in formation.
They were actual soldiers. There was much more to this alien culture than even Erik knew.
Or did he? I tried to scan the area, taking in everything that I could, buildings and signs, locations.
By the time they stopped in front of a more ornate building, I was almost hyperventilating, the fear parching my throat.
There was no further hesitation, the two holding onto me taking me inside.
I was surprised at the appearance, stark with little furniture.
But the bright lights I would never forget hovering overhead.
I was taken to some kind of cell, although the door was made of glass, sliding in place without any interaction.