Chapter 75 The Return, Eve #2
All the men in the room look at her surprised, but I just give her a nod. She’s not wrong. I have learned a lot about galactic culture while being at the Obsidian Palace. “And our marriage would be normal? Not any kind of strange human-pet marriage?”
Lorian laughs. “Completely normal. There’s no such thing as a human-pet marriage. And yes, after your sentence you would have authority over us, just like any other Reima Two woman.”
“But for the next ten years, your life would be contained to the Spire,” Rafe reminds me.
“It was one of the many compromises we had to agree to,” Lorian adds, handing me his IC.
I look at the Imperial hieroglyphics and hand it back. “My Imperial isn’t good enough to read a legal document.”
“Oh, here.” He taps a button and then hands it back, and it’s in English.
“What do you say Eve?” Rafe asks, breaking the silence. “It’s far from ideal and it’s only one law. There’s still a lot to be done if humans are to ever truly be free …”
“It’s a lot.” I look over at Autumn. When our eyes meet, I know without speaking she’s saying, Why are you hesitating? This is what you want! Go!
“Oh, Autumn, just say something, my pet,” Gai says. “Eve is struggling. She still thinks her life is limited by other people’s expectations.”
“Go,” Autumn says. “I will be happy to have the room to myself again.”
Clearly, Autumn is the same as Gai when it comes to stating their feelings.
“Yes, well spoken, my pet,” Gai says, rising and taking Autumn away with him. “We’ve not had a peaceful morning in months, have we? Let’s go for a long walk now and think about how pleasant it will be to be just the two of us again.”
Stunned, I watch Gai and Autumn leave, and I don’t know how to feel.
I am more confused than ever. Is this real?
I have dreamed of this moment, but now that it’s here, I don’t know what to do.
So “I say the first thing that comes into my mind.
“Tribune Jin Kol must be furious," I say, finally trying to make sense of all of this.
"Livid to the point of death,” Lorian states with a proud look, like a cat who caught a mouse.
“Did you kill him?” I ask Lorian point blank.
Lorian nods. “Of course. I killed him legally for you, Eve. I …”
Rafe interrupts. “It was all within the law…”
I hold eye contact with Lorian. It doesn’t surprise me to learn he’s killed someone.
I knew that before didn’t I? Even if I didn’t want to admit it to myself.
And now he’s killed for me. I hated Jin Kol and he was trying to get me killed or worse.
He was a sadistic bastard, but does that mean I should be happy about this?
“I knew you wouldn’t accept us if I didn’t,” Lorian says. “He sold the footage of our conjugal visit.”
“That fucking bastard,” I say. “And you killed him legally?”
“Yes, by duel,” Lorian says. It’s clear he wants to continue with the bloody details, but Rafe puts a hand on his arm to stop him.
“He had a lot of enemies, so no one challenged it. And it turns out, most people in the galaxy are tired of seeing humans bought and sold."
“Thank you, Lorian. It’s a bit much to take in that you killed a man for me. But given all that’s happen, I think I can sleep easier knowing that.”
Lorian nods.
“But this compromise,” I say referring to the deal I’ve been offered, “What about the Grand Championships? If humans can no longer be bought and sold? Then…”
“It will still continue, but with humans keeping a portion of their winnings by law, and new humans cannot be sold into it.”
“In some ways, it’s a step in the right direction, but do you believe that this will really happen?”
“Not overnight, but it’s a start, and a start is better than nothing, And don’t forget, Eve, we are the ones enforcing these laws at the Spire,” Rafe says. “And hopefully, in the future, the Championships will be completely voluntary.”
I shudder. “Who would sign up for that?” But as soon as I say it, I know people would. I know that as long as it pays enough or has some kind of fame connected to it, a certain kind of person would do it, like sci-fi gladiators. Humanity has the same desire for violence and sex that Imperials have.
“I don’t know,” Rafe says, “but as part of your sentence, you’ll need to find humans to willingly leave Earth and sign up for it. And also find humans to work for the Ascendant Alliance. But you won’t have to use coercion or meet high-quotas and it will all be subject to IGC audit.”
I feel dizzy now. “I can’t believe you want me to be a slave recruiter? No. I’d rather stay here. I—”
I’ve done enough of the Devil’s work for a lifetime.
Rafe cuts me off. “I can’t believe you’d think that.
No. I know there are some humans who would like to work in the galaxy.
They won’t be companions or slaves, but free employees.
Free competitors to sign up for the Grand Championships and keep their winnings.
Or free employees. That’s what we’re trying to do here.
It’s not enough to only have one human who is free working legally.
We need a population of humans working as equals. ”
I can see in their faces that they’re surprised I’m not happier with their compromise.
“Progress takes time and we thought you’d rather be a part of it on the front lines than stay here as a pet to our father,” Lorian says.
He’s not wrong.
“Accept our marriage proposal and this unique opportunity. Help us change the galaxy, Eve,” Lorian says.
I look over the terms of my new sentence again. “You did this all for me?”
“Yes. We were always on the fence about humans,”Rafe says.
“But you swayed us,” Lorian adds.
I look down at my naked body and touch my collar. “On the fence? Really?”
“Perhaps more on one side than the other,” Rafe corrects and takes off his jacket and puts it around my shoulders. It smells wonderfully of him and is so warm. It’s been more than a year since I’ve worn clothing, and the physicality of it almost brings tears to my eyes again.
Lorian tries to help me upright.
"I can't—I'm not ready—"
“Please,” Lorian says. “Forgive us, Eve. If there is someone else you want dead? Aefre? Just say the name.”
“No, it’s not that.”
“Eve, I recognize that spoken out loud, these new terms may seem worse than staying here. And maybe you don’t believe us about Zira or don’t want to marry us, but—”
“No,” I say gathering my thoughts. But then I see them both deflate. “No,” I repeat. “I do want this. I’m just confused. No one has talked to me like a person in over a year, and I still can’t decide if this is real.”
Without warning, they take me in their arms and hold me so close I can hardly breathe. I can feel both of their heartbeats against me, encompassing me. And they both say, at the same time, “It’s real, Eve.”
“I swear, you’ll never have a reason to doubt us again,” Rafe adds.
Lorian kisses the top of my head. “You’re ours, forever, Eve.
It’s been hell without you. Having to pretend we’re okay while you were suffering here.
But now, everything is as it should be, and we’re here to take you home.
To our home, with us always. Please say you’ll come.
We can’t live another second without you. ”
I can’t quite believe what they’re saying.
Rafe adds, “I promise you, Eve, no matter what you were made to believe here, you were not replaced, forgotten or unloved by us. Our hearts have always been here with you and there was not a minute that passed that we didn’t think of you in everything we did.”
My eye catches on Rafe’s ring. It’s on his hand.
“Your ring. I thought I had lost that,” I say.
He looks down and takes it off. “It’s yours. My father gave it to me after your escape. He was worried you would lose it.”
I take the ring and put it on my thumb. Its familiar weight comforts me. “I hate that you had to marry someone else in order to come back for me,” I say because I have to. “I can’t agree to this without saying that out loud again. And I might repeat that for the rest of our lives.”
“I understand. And I hate that the galaxy requires a law to recognize humans as equals,” Rafe replies. “The galaxy is messy and complicated, but I’m not going to give up. Not on humanity or on you. All I ask is that you don’t give up on us, Eve.”
“We can’t promise you anything sanitized. Life doesn’t work that way, nothing is clean or easy, but we love you, in our way. I hope that that is enough?” Lorian says.
I look into their silver eyes and then touch their grey faces, trying to memorize this moment forever.
“Yes…Yes. I’ll come with you my broken men and I’ll marry you, even if I have to live only on the Spire for the next ten years.
” And then I think about the humans I might bring into the galaxy and hope that the people who love UFOs actually want to live with aliens.
I truly will be the Devil’s handmaiden, and not by ignorance either.
As I read through the documents again, I realize this IGC decision may close a chapter of my life, my pet life. But it doesn’t open all the cage doors of the other human pets in the galaxy. And I will still be the example, be the first.
I take a deep breath and silently ask myself:
Am I up to this new challenge?
As we enter the Celestial Spire, I’m overwhelmed both emotionally and physically. And for a moment, my mind splits in two—the pet that Alba made of me, and the equal woman who now walks between with Rafe and Lorian. I remember being both here.
Both proud and ashamed.
Unbidden, I think about her. Their ex. wife Zira. I think about her walking these halls with them and jealousy overwhelms me.
As if reading my mind, Rafe says, “It was never a real marriage. I can show you the medical reports to prove it.”
“I don’t want to see them,” I say, trying to be proud, but knowing I will probably ask Dr. Veil to see them in a weak moment.
And despite trying to be strong, I can’t block out the voice inside my head that whispers to me that this is an illusion.
Men like Rafe and Lorian don’t love women like me. Orphans from Earth.
And that’s when my knees give out.
What if this is all too good to be true?
My thoughts are spiraling.
Lorian reaches for me, but I flinch, not meaning to. His grey hand freezes in midair. “I don’t need to be forgiven. Only to be believed, Eve. We never touched her.”
And that’s what breaks me—the truth beneath his words, beneath both of their words.
They didn’t betray me. But what happened here and on Alba did, and what happened in my childhood did, and all those experiences are still living inside of me, making every victory feel like a trap that I’m naive enough to fall for.
Making me feel like I don’t belong here, that I’m back on that stationary bus, living a life I have no say in because I am not competent to make decisions for myself.
I close my eyes and shake my head violently to clear my thoughts.
These men have sacrificed for me. They have changed a galactic law for me. One of them has killed for me. I have to find the strength to believe in myself and throw off these lies inside my head that are trying to drown me.
I am not an NPC.
I am the main character in my own story.
And I am seen here. Even as a pet, I was still seen.
I was never forgotten.
As if sensing my internal struggle, Rafe gently takes my hand, and Lorian takes the other. “Walk between us as our equal. Claim your rightful place, Eve.”
And as strange as it is, it’s comforting to be led like this, with both of them holding my hands.
Something two years ago I would have never wanted.
I would have thought it made me look weak.
But now I realize, I’m not weak for relying on them.
I’m stronger. We are all stronger together.
And it clicks, they need me between them just as much as I need them to flank me.
I belong here. This isn’t a favor they’re doing me.
And I hate to admit it, but Gai was right. I am stronger. But I will be damned if I ever tell him.