Chapter 8
EIGHT
Cali leaned her back against the door, hands flattened to it. Her breath came fast and heavy. Her heart thundered in her ears. If he hadn’t stopped, she would have…what? Dragged him inside her room and demanded he bed her? Possible. No, likely.
The things she imagined doing with Niir…
She wasn’t even sure what her body was demanding.
Well, she technically knew the mechanics of it all.
It was the feelings and sensations that shocked her straight to her toes.
She should have been looking forward to exploring them with her betrothed…
if only her thoughts on Warlord Mek-la hadn’t soured.
She was strongly opposed to wearing one of those gold body pieces and spend her days lounging around in it.
Cali would rather spend her days in a study center, learning about the climates and unique geology on other worlds, but it was unlikely that the warlord had a place of learning in the palace and even more unlikely that his wives were permitted to spend their time with their noses glued to screens.
She had been prepared—trained, by her Sislus attendants—to serve the warlord, but what if she wasn’t cut out to “serve” anyone anymore?
She had more to give. She wanted to do more than simply be one female in a sea of them whose only purpose was to pleasure a male.
Cali stripped off the gray shift that suddenly felt scratchy and itchy on her sensitive skin and went to the washroom.
The bathing options were limited, but she stood in the clear cylindrical tube and had her skin cleaned first with steam, then with a fine, misted oil meant to help with relaxation.
The scent cleared the chaos from her head. She settled into bed.
The ship made a lot of sounds. There was the burn of engines, the whoosh of air filtration, a buzzing sound that she couldn’t identify, and if she listened carefully, she could barely hear Niir’s faint stirrings in the chamber next to her. She placed a hand on the wall and let out a long sigh.
She was meant to wed Warlord Mek-la, who took care of her settlement. Maybe they never had abundance, but they did not starve. Their dome was secure and everyone survived. Didn’t she still owe it to her group to honor the betrothal?
Niir didn’t think so. The images of the warlord’s excess made her want to agree with him. If the true nature of her “betrothal” to the warlord was misrepresented to her, then maybe she could rethink her obligation. Or maybe not.
She drifted off to sleep, unsure of so many things. The last thought she had was of Niir’s large hands closing around her waist and how safe she felt in his arms. He infiltrated her thoughts, her dreams, her body.
When she awoke, it was to the sound of a chime at the door. She sat up straight, heart thumping. It had to be Niir. No one else had come to see her. Before she could think, she said, “Come in,” then remembered she was naked and pulled the covers up to her neck. “Wait, I—”
The door opened, but it wasn’t Niir standing there, it was the human female, Anna. She wore a slick black suit that revealed cleavage and leg, and twin blasters on either hip.
Cali didn’t know what to say. The human wore her bright red hair pulled back from her face and secured tightly near the top of her head. It flowed down her back like a brilliant red ribbon.
Anna smiled widely at her. She showed Cali a small metal device and tapped her own ear.
Cali saw the same device on the human’s ear.
Niir had one, too. She held still as Anna approached and wrapped the device’s delicate arms around the lobe and top of her ear.
It tickled a little, but fit comfortably.
Then, there was Anna’s voice in a language she understood.
“Hello there.” Anna spoke to Cali through the translator in the universal language. “Ah. Finally, I can greet you properly.”
A tenseness eased in Cali’s gut. She smiled back. “Hello.”
“I am not great with the universal language of this quadrant, yet,” said Anna. “I just mastered Virilian. How are you doing?”
Cali just stared at her for a moment. The truth would be an incomprehensible garble of all the confusion roiling through her. “Fine.”
Anna snorted. “Yeah, right. Honey, you’re a mess. I get it. I was a mess, too, when I first landed with these guys.”
Cali could not imagine this female being anything but confident and self-assured. She tilted her head. “I’m trying to get my head around things.”
“You have a lot. You’re engaged, huh? To the warlord.” She arched one brow. “How are you feeling about that?”
“Not good.” Cali frowned. “I didn’t know that by marrying him, I’d essentially be joining a harem, complete with ridiculous gold body jewelry.” She shook her head. “I just can’t see myself there.”
“Can’t see you there, either,” Anna said. “What are you going to do?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. If I break the betrothal, I fear there will be retribution. On me, my cousins, and possibly you all on this ship. The best thing would be to do as he wants. No one will get hurt.”
Anna’s expression turned skeptical. “You haven’t been on this ship long enough.
There’s always another option. Speaking of which…
” Cali watched Anna move to the built-in wardrobe and pull open the doors.
The red-haired female let out a noise of pure distress.
“Calinae, you have clothes in your wardrobe, and you choose to wear that?” Anna nodded to the gray shift draped over the chair.
“I’ve only ever had one garment.” Cali wrapped the covers around her body and rose. “I forgot about the wardrobe.”
Anna blinked at her. “What do you do when it’s dirty?”
“I put it in the cleaning tube before I go to bed.” Cali shook her head, knowing how ridiculous this must sound. “I set it over the chair, there, to dry.”
Anna looked at the gray shift and back to Cali. “Look, I’m not usually one to criticize anyone’s fashion choices, but you have clothes that actually fit you and are washed properly.”
Cali glanced at the wardrobe. The first thing that came to mind was how her entire group could be dressed with the contents of this one wardrobe. “It’s too much for one person.”
“There is a ship replicator that works similar to the food dispensary. When a garment is no longer needed, it’s broken down into components and re-fabricated into something new.
Nothing goes to waste here.” Anna seemed to have figured out what her hang-up was.
“And your cousins all have the same selection. I hear they’re wearing all the clothes. ”
Cali couldn’t help but smile, thinking of how delighted Hiva must be with this. “Okay.” To make the point, she picked up the gray shift and put it in the waste disposal slot. “Gone.”
“Yay! So, down to business. We have just docked at a way station to, um, see to some ship repairs.” Anna flipped through garments, picking some out and tossing them on the bed. “I’m here to help you pack some things, since you’ve been invited to the station.”
“Invited by Niir?” As if she needed to ask.
Anna glanced at her from the edges of her eyes. “Yep. The big guy likes you.” She pulled out a short white tunic, then put it back. “What do you think of him?”
Cali sank back down on the bed. “I like him,” she said flatly. “But as we discussed, I’m technically betrothed.”
Anna paused. “Right. You’re worried what will happen if you break that off.”
Cali dropped her head into her hands. “No one betrays Warlord Mek-la. We were taught what happens when someone does.”
“He’s not exactly the forgiving type,” said Anna with a wince. “But you should know that this crew and ship has gotten out of a lot of bad scrapes. Perhaps we can arrange a trade. Something in exchange for him releasing you without consequences.”
“I’m not your responsibility. You were hired to bring me to him—this male I am supposed to love.” She shook her head. “And then there are my cousins. I won’t abandon them.”
“No one would ask you to.” Anna’s fingers touched under Cali’s chin and tilted her head up. “Ever. And you are not ‘supposed’ to love anyone. You love who you love.”
Cali closed her eyes. “I may be falling for someone else.”
Anna dropped her hand. “Perhaps you didn’t have choices when you were on your settlement, but now you’re on this ship with us, and we have never played by anyone’s rules but our own. If you don’t want to go to the warlord, you don’t have to. But I do ask you for one favor.”
Cali went still and wary. “What is that?”
“Niir is my friend. I love him like family, which he is to us. Despite a brutal past and the scars to prove it, he can be hurt. I don’t want to see that happen.”
Cali wrapped her arms around herself, hugging the blanket. “I don’t want that either.”
“Good.” Anna sat down next to her and began folding the garments on the bed. “You’ll be on the Elos station for about a cycle. Think about what you want and know that we are a clever bunch. Clever enough to figure out a way around Warlord Mek-la.”
Tension relaxed from Cali’s shoulders. “Do you…mean that?”
“I do,” Anna said softly. She winced and looked to the ceiling. “But if you decide not to join the warlord, be prepared. The lies you’ve been told may go deeper than you think,” she said.
“What do you mean?” Cali’s pulse increased. How much worse could it get?
“It means we’re investigating a few other things about your group that don’t add up. That’s why we’re delaying your rendezvous with the warlord.”
“So, there’s nothing wrong with the ship?”
Anna shrugged with a grin. “There’s always something wrong with the ship, but yeah. That’s not why we’re stopping. I think you’re okay, Calinae—can I call you Cali?”
“Everyone calls me Cali.”
“Even Niir?”
“Not him.” Cali looked away. “I like how he says my full name.”