Chapter 40
CORA
Sunlight—Starlight. Whatever.—streamed in through the cruiser’s narrow windows, throwing the cabin into a tangle of sunbeams and shadows.
Starbeams? Whatever the light was called, it was too bright and stabby.
Yawning, I snuggled deeper into the blankets that smelled so good, like salt breezes and sunshine.
Maybe that scent could have lulled me back into sleep if there hadn’t been so much muttering.
The buzz and hum of hushed voices poked and prodded at my mind, invading my peaceful oblivion.
Who was talking? Could they shut up, please?
Rolling over, the covers wrapping me up like a burrito, I peered through the open kitchen door.
Mom and Dad stood against the sunlight, arguing.
Ugh. What were they doing here? In the back of my mind, I was sure there was somewhere else they should have been.
On the compound. On the compound, but that was somewhere else, too.
Somewhere very far away. And yet here they were, muttering and hissing about something.
“We can’t take her home,” Mom said. “Ricky wouldn’t like it.”
“He’ll pay for her,” Dad reasoned.
“Why would he give a penny for her?” Mom sneered. “She isn’t worth it.”
“They want wives.”
“We should just kill her.” That was Mom. My own mother. We should just kill her.
Yiri will come for me. My husband, my mate.
He’ll kill her first. I saw it like a vision in my mind.
Yiri would appear behind Mom just like he stepped up so silently behind that mercenary.
He’d twist her head in his hands, that sick, wet snap would sound, and she would slump, eyes empty and unseeing as she fell.
Bile rose in my throat as imaginary Yiri faced my father.
“What do I care?” Dad said, his eyes already as empty as Mom’s. “I have no daughter. She’s dead to me.”
Yiri’s hand reached for the concealed phase blade at his thigh, but it was my hand that drew the bright blade, and I was the one standing in front of Dad with Mom lying lifeless at my feet.
“You can’t do it,” Dad taunted, his face void of any emotion, just like that day at the compound. “You’re too soft for his world. He saved your life, and you can’t even look at him. He won’t miss you. He doesn’t even care that you’re gone. You’re already dead, so why don’t you just d—”
His words cut off in a garbled cry of surprise as the phase blade slid through him like his flesh was water.
“Good girl.” It was Yiri’s deep voice that vibrated through me, but he was no longer there.
I stood alone in the cruiser’s kitchen with my parents’ bodies at my feet.
I should feel bad about that, right? But, no.
I didn’t feel bad at all. After I left them a safety net, this was how they still saw me?
At best, a resource, and at worst, worthless.
I shouldn’t be surprised. It shouldn’t make me angry and murderous, but damn.
And I wasn’t too soft for Yiri or his world. I had a little shock, but now I was fine. Just fine, dammit!
Down on the floor, Mom said to Dad, “I still think we should kill her.”
Dad regarded the sickening angle of her neck dispassionately. “She’s dead to me, anyway,” he said.
I yelled and tried to kick him, but my whole body was burrito wrapped in blankets, my voice muffled by the soft material as I thrashed until I was falling, the floor rising to meet me in the middle with a hard thwack.
My eyes snapped open on impact, reality slamming into me harder than the floor.
My parents weren’t here, and I certainly didn’t murder them in cold blood.
Yiri wasn’t here either. But Xokat was. He was the one arguing to sell me off as a bride on Ibaruta.
Another man, young like Xokat, but lankier in build and meaner in the face, was for killing me.
Something about his worn clothing and nearly shaved head gave me an uneasy feeling.
Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against bald guys or short hair, but it wasn’t a style I’d seen much of in Covara.
“She’s coming around,” the other man said, his eyes cutting to me. “We should just kill her now.”
“We’re not killing her,” the Xokat growled. “She’s innocent. Ahlon should suffer, not her.”
“We’re the ones who’ll suffer if he finds his mate married to someone else on that backwater moon.”
“He won’t find her,” Xokat said. “And he won’t find us. He doesn’t deal in wives. It’s his biggest blind spot.”
“He knows people.”
“Not the right people,” Xokat argued.
A tense moment passed with the two males eyeing each other, secret knowledge I could only guess at passing between them.
“You can either get up there and fly us to Ibaruta and get a cut of the profits, or I’ll hand you over to Ahlon myself,” the second man said.
“Fine,” Xokat muttered, moving toward me.
The other man stopped him. “What are you doing?”
“Putting her under again,” Xokat said. “She’s waking up.”
“Good.” The other man’s grin was sickening. “I want her awake.”
“In’vion—” Xokat looked momentarily stricken. “You can’t.”
“I won’t do it,” this In’vion guy said. “Yet. Keep me waiting much longer, and I might forget my self-control.”
My gut churned, and I tried harder to push myself up.
I wasn’t really wrapped in a blanket, I realized.
I was just weak. Exhaustion swamped me in a much less pleasant way than when I woke up from stasis weeks ago.
Oh god! How long had I been out? Where had they taken me?
What had they done to me? I tried to take stock, looking down at myself with a choked, quiet sob.
I was still in the pink satin evening gown I’d worn to Della’s party.
Even my pearls were still in place. Okay. So they hadn’t… tampered with me. Yet.
I managed to look up and catch Xokat’s stare. “Don’t… leave me with him,” I croaked.
In’vion’s laugh was rife with contempt. “Your friend Xokat’s the one who brought you to me,” he said. “He’s not going to help you.” To Xokat, he barked, “Get us moving! Or do you want to face Ahlon now that you’ve betrayed him?”
Xokat didn’t say a word. He turned and climbed the steps to the pilot’s bubble and left me with the bastard who wanted to murder me.
“If you leave me alone, I’ll tell him you didn’t hurt me.” The words felt thick and clumsy in my mouth, but I got them out.
“Oh, yeah?” he asked. “Think he’ll forgive me?”
No. Not a fucking chance. This guy was ceket feed. I nodded anyway. “He’ll believe me,” I said. “He’ll let you go if I ask.”
“Yeah? You think he’d do that for you?” In’vion sauntered closer and hoisted me by my upper arms. “Well, shit. It’s too bad you weren’t there to put in a good word for my dad, huh?”
He pushed and I fell back on the bed, all the breath whooshing out of my lungs.
Still, I kicked at him as he loomed over me, the satin of my skirt tearing in one long rip that filled the cabin.
My legs felt heavier than they should have and I wasn’t very effectual, but I did land one kick right on the asshole’s jaw as he climbed onto the bed and tried to prowl over me.
“Y-you don’t have to do this!” I spluttered, inching weakly back away from him. But there was nowhere to go! Behind me was nothing but pillows and the wall of the cruiser, and In’vion kept coming closer. All I’d done was make him mad.
“Oh, I know,” he said in a mocking croon.
“But I want to. Xokat tells me your butcher of a husband actually loves you. Male like him? He’s probably never loved anything in his life.
He hurts, and he kills, and he takes from everyone, but now I get to take a little something back from him.
The only thing that murdering bastard cares about. ”
My head thrashed back and forth as I scratched and shoved at him, trying to get him off me. From somewhere close by, Mr. Darcy gave a long, angry yowl. Oh god, stay away, baby. If he hurt Mr. Darcy….
“I’m gonna make sure he finds this piece of shit cruiser,” In’vion panted as his hands fastened around my throat. “And you know what he’ll smell all over it? Your fear. Your pain. He’ll lose his fucking mind.”
“He’ll find you,” I rasped out as I fought. “He’ll kill you.”
In’vion snarled, his hands closing around my throat, pinning me half to the wall and half against a lumpy pillow. Yiri’s pillow. Yiri’s pillow. I tried to turn to the side as I dug my hand beneath it, feeling around. Where was it? Where was it??
My vision swam, my pulse throbbing at my temples. Mr. Darcy launched himself at my attacker, latching onto his back, claws digging in deep, and his little kitty fangs on full display. Male and cat both howled and thrashed, but In’vion didn’t
Lungs burning, my mouth gaped as I tried in vain to pull in my next breath.
The world began to dim just as smooth metal met my fingertips.
I squeezed like Yiri showed me, and the phase blade speared up through the pillow, singeing the material instantly.
It was so quiet. In’vion didn’t even glance down until I slid the blade into his side.
It was just like my dream. Easy as moving my hand through water.
No blood, no mess. Just the sizzle and smell of burning flesh, and In’vion’s scream of pain.
He might have been fine. He looked fine at first. I didn’t know where to stab someone to make it deadly, and I was still feeling very weak and lethargic.
But I kept my fingers wrapped tightly around the hilt, and with In’vion basically on top of me, now in the throes of agony, his movements caused the blade to slip first to the side toward his belly, and then up through his ribcage.
It was too easy. So horrifyingly easy to kill a man with this blade. And easier still to shut away my guilt.
“I’m not too soft for him,” I bit out as the light died in In’vion’s eyes and he fell over on the bed. Ugh. At least he didn’t fall on top of me.
Mr. Darcy hopped clear of the dead guy, pacing the blankets between us with little growls and hisses.
“You got him, sweetie,” I choked out. “Good boy. Mommy’s so proud.”
With a final, haughty yowl, he sank into loaf formation, satisfied in his victory.
I lay there for a moment and caught my breath.
Whatever the hell they gave me to knock me out was trash.
They had much better drugs here than on Earth.
They could have used something that let me wake up all happy and peaceful, but noooo.
They had to give me some bullshit roofie that might as well have come from earth.
My head pounded with every beat of my pulse, and my stomach twisted with nausea.
Trying not to groan, I hauled myself out of bed and stumbled as quietly as possible to the kitchen.
I splashed cool water on my face and leaned against the counter for a few minutes.
When my stomach turned again, I decided that maybe putting something in it might help.
So, you know… I ate a few pieces of the zibe fruit Yiri kept cubed up for us in the cruiser’s little space fridge…
standing barefoot in a shredded, pink satin evening gown, the laser blade I’d just killed a man with still buzzing in my hand.
A hysterical bubble of laughter floated up, nearly choking me as I tried to swallow down the fruit.
Yeah, okay, I snorted at myself. I’m not terrible at this whole mob wife thing.