Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
The sand racer was probably meant to be driven while wearing a suit of some sort.
Maybe a helmet, too. There was a windshield, but the sides and top were open, putting her and Virak in a great howling, gusting wind tunnel.
She tugged her neckline up over her mouth and nose and closed her eyes.
Only an hour of this, she reminded herself.
If not for the bruising wind, this ride would be mostly exciting and only a little terrifying.
But alas, suits and helmets had not been found among the supplies left in the tunnel by the Sifters.
Most of the crates had been filled with weapons and medical supplies.
No food had been found, which was unfortunate.
Jessa was hungry. Clearly, the Sifters had not planned on hiding out in the tunnels for long.
Virak was like a statue behind the control stick of the sand racer. She couldn’t see him clearly, but a few glances at one of the intermittent ceiling lights revealed his stern profile. Determined brow. Hard, sculpted lips. Strong, stubborn jaw. God, he was gorgeous.
Her feelings for him were as turbulent as the ride they were on.
The goals she’d made before coming here were feeling fuzzy and no longer as distinct.
But she had to stay focused. She did not belong here, with him.
Now that they were having sex, she had a chance to conceive.
And if she conceived, she would be awarded her fee for producing a precious Virilian child.
Each step brought her closer to her goal.
If only her goal didn’t feel flimsier than it once had.
When the lights in the tunnel began flashing by at more frequent intervals, she knew they were nearing Exir City.
The floor was a smooth, white rock, rather than dirt.
The tunnel ended abruptly in a small, cramped space, well-lit by several large, industrial-looking fixtures in the high ceiling.
A thick, metal door faced them. It was roughly double the size of a garage door on Earth.
“Stay here.” Virak climbed out of the sand racer and walked to the door. Or rather, to the wall next to the door.
He lifted his hand and rubbed the surface, as if polishing it.
What was he doing? Nothing was there—just a smooth stone wall.
Virak’s hand came away coated in white film.
Where he’d been rubbing was a square, just slightly darker than the wall.
It would be easy to miss, if one didn’t know it was there. Virak obviously did.
He pressed his clean hand to the square. It lit up bright red and a whirring noise could be heard in the walls.
The other side of the door was Exir City. That thick, heavy door began to crank upwards, like a tower gate opening. She swallowed hard with a sudden scatter of nerves. Virak walked back to her and got in the sand racer. His brows lowered in concern. “What is wrong?”
“Nothing,” she said, forcing a smile. “I’m fine.”
His scowl deepened. “You are not ‘fine.’”
“Okay, I’m…nervous for some reason,” she said. “I don’t know why.”
He eased the sand racer through the opening and into a massive hangar beyond. It was eerily empty. “Were you nervous when you arrived at Tagja City?”
She kept her gaze forward and tried not to gawk at the cavernous space. “Yes. Very.”
“Really?” He sounded surprised. “It didn’t show. I was sure I was far more nervous than you.”
“You projected pure confidence.” She snorted at the thought. “You were like this aloof, aristocratic god. Nothing touched you.” Jessa winced at her careless word choice. “I didn’t mean that literally.”
A faint smile curved his lips. He turned off the vehicle, making no move to exit it. “But it is true, literally.”
“Hold on.” She turned to face him. “Are you saying that before just now, you and me, on the crates…” She lowered her voice. “That was the first time you had sex?”
His smile turned wicked. “With another person, yes.”
Jessa simply could not picture him pleasuring himself. “Wow. I mean—I don’t know why that surprises me.” Ugh, she was rambling. “It shouldn’t, I suppose, considering your history with touch.”
“Is that a problem?” he inquired, looking amused.
“No! It just seemed like you knew what you were doing.”
“I did know what I was doing.” His brows arched in bemusement. “It’s not a complicated act.”
“No, not complicated.” She chewed on her bottom lip, thinking this was probably a conversation better had somewhere private and not in an echoey hangar, even if it appeared empty. “You’d be surprised how unskilled many people are at it.”
He turned and faced her, clearly confused.
“Unskilled? You speak of an act driven by instinct and primal urges. But sex is a skill to you? Like something requiring hours of lessons and practice to gain mastery?” He tapped his chin, brows knitted in inquiry.
“Metalworking takes many hours to master. Is that what sex is like on your planet?”
If Jessa had been drinking something, she would have spat it all over herself.
His questions were so earnest. “No!” She cleared her throat.
“No, sex is not like metalworking. But, practice does usually make people better at it. And there are some who…” The last thing she expected to discuss with a male from a race of the most potent males humankind had ever encountered, was the dynamics of sex.
“I guess you could say some people care only for their pleasure, and not that of their partner.”
Virak snorted and slid smoothly from the sand racer. “That is not a matter of skill,” he said loftily. “That is a personality flaw. No amount of practice can fix that.”
Jessa chuckled and followed him out of the sand racer. One thing was for sure—her Virilian king suffered from no lack of ego.
Virak swept a hand toward an arched exit across the hangar. “This way.” He beckoned her to come to him. “King Drex now knows we are here and will be awaiting us in his throne room.”
She went to him. Her ears still rang from the loud ride and her eyes burned from the bright light. Virak held out a hand, and she took it. Instantly, some of her nerves dissipated.
The chamber they entered was smaller, but still bare.
Except for four Virilian warriors, that is.
They appeared ready for battle, causing Jessa to take a step back.
Thick, black metal strips crossed over their broad chests in an X, revealing tattoos and scars to go with fierce expressions.
Long, curved blades hung from their hips. Two had them drawn.
Virak held up a hand. “It is truly I, King Virak of Tagja City,” he said mildly. “Not an enemy.”
The blades were sheathed and the warriors wielding them visibly relaxed.
“You cannot be certain these days,” said the Virilian in front. “King Drex has ordered us to be watchful for Sifters. It would not be beyond them to use your severed hand to activate the touch screen entry controls.”
Virak gave them a mild look. “I suspect they attempted to do just that.” He spread his hands. “They failed.”
The lead Virilian guard took in Virak’s bandages, bruises, and scrapes. “Indeed. King Drex is eager to see you and your companion.”
They were led through stark corridors. Unadorned white stone, topped with translucent windows in the ceiling, made for a disorienting walk.
How did anyone know where they were with no landmarks?
Even the doors were simple—stone or metal.
No color. “This looks so different from Tagja City,” she whispered to Virak.
He nodded. “Beauty and art are luxuries when survival is the main objective, and for Exir City, survival was the only objective.”
“What happened?” she asked.
“This city is much newer than Tagja, which was built before a meteor strike changed our climate.” His gaze slid over their utilitarian surroundings.
“My ancestors were mocked for building an underground city, but ours is the only one that survived the strike. It holds the look and style of the old ways.”
“That’s horrible,” she said. “Did many die?”
“Yes. Tagja City took in millions of survivors. Exir City was built on existing caverns, carved by great creatures who devour the rock.” He glanced down at her. “And in my lifetime, we have faced a new threat. A virus that killed so many of our females and threatened the end of our species.”
“That’s why I’m here.”
“Yes.” Virak’s thumb slid over her knuckles. “But whatever the reason that brought you to me, I am glad for it.”
Her belly tickled at the warmth in his tone. She was glad to be there, too. To think she had once looked at this as something to endure. A job to do with a big payoff. Despite all the chaos of the past day, she was enjoying her time with him.
“We’re here,” Virak said to her.
Their guard escorts stopped outside a set of sleek doors. Virak stepped up to them, not letting go of Jessa’s hand. She dug her feet in. “Do I have to go in? You’re the king,” she said. “They aren’t expecting me.”
His brows drew together. “The king and queen will want to see both of us.”
“But I…” Jessa closed her eyes. “I’m a mess. I’m filthy and my hair is—God, I don’t want to know.”
He tilted her chin up with one finger. “You are beautiful. And it matters not to Drex what your hair looks like.”
She sighed. “I’m not your queen. I’m just your—”
He cut her off with a finger to the lips. “You are vitally important and not just because of the child you may soon carry.” He leaned close, eyes glittering. “You are important to me.”
Jessa shivered at the intensity of his words, the heat in his eyes, the flare of his nostrils. “Okay,” she got out. Her head felt a bit dizzy. Her knees weren’t quite as steady. She wasn’t sure why.
Virak placed a hand on one of the doors and they both swung inward. The chamber within was large and airy. Seats lined up, facing the fanciest looking things Jessa had seen so far—two stone thrones, each decorated with intricate carvings.