Chapter 6
A Scorned Pet
The pod powered down. Rubbing my eyes, I sat up and watched the door. Nothing happening. Maybe I had been sent to the wrong location. Chewing on my nails, I rose to my feet. The door hissed. I jumped back as it swung up.
"Raja!" Sora leaped forward and hugged me. "You made it."
"Sora," I breathed, startled. "Where is this place?"
Sora shuffled back and tucked his hair behind his ear. "The safe house."
I stepped out of the pod to see the emperor standing by a doorway. Guards were moving about the area. One pushed past us to check out the interior of the pod.
"This way, boys," said Eric.
Sora looped arms with me and followed his master. I was still stunned by everything that was going on. Tobias and Eric had been busy the last couple weeks.
The emperor led us to a nice room with a sitting area attached to a bedroom. We sat down on a couch and a woman placed a tray on the coffee table placed in the center of the seating arrangement.
"Go ahead and eat," said Eric, before stepping into the hall to talk to one of his officials.
I moved to the floor and picked up one of the sandwiches, which had been cut into a triangle. Nibbling on it, I glanced around. There were no windows, but besides that, it looked like one of the guest rooms in the palace.
"You'll be safe here," said Sora with a smile. He grabbed one of the sandwiches from the plate.
"I'm still confused on where this is?" I sighed.
"I don't know for sure. No one is allowed to talk about it," Sora shrugged. "I don't think it matters. We're protected here."
"I thought I was protected back home," I said lowly, setting the remainder of my food to the side. "They attack the mansion. They tried to blow us up."
Sora swallowed hard and sucked in his lips. We sat quietly, listening to the muffled voices coming from outside. The door closed, and we both turned to see Eric standing there.
"Not hungry?"
"Is Tobias okay?" I asked.
"He figured you'd be worried about him. I talked to him personally only a couple hours ago. He's fine, and everyone at the house has been moved." He sat down on the far couch. Resting his elbow on the armrest, the emperor relaxed his head on his palm.
"Someone tried to kill us," I said softly, leaning back against the seat behind me, "again."
"Tobias was the target." He stared across the room at the door.
"The general wasn't even home," I stated. "He has been home for weeks, and when I finally see him, he sends me off with some strange cadet, because he can't even trust his own officers," I exclaimed, "How do you think that makes me feel, after the whole farm was blown to pieces, and enemy planes were crashing into the fields."
Sora rubbed my shoulder.
I sucked in my cheek, trying to not show any emotion. It was hard though. My life had been completely blown apart in the last month. "Can't you make this go away?"
Eric took in a deep breath. "I'm trying to Raja. I really am, but for now, you have to keep believing in Tobias and me to take care of everything." He stood. "Sora, I have a meeting to attend to. You and Raja should get some rest."
"Yes master." He watched the emperor cross the room, digging his nails into the armrest.
Eric stopped at the door and waved the boy over. Sora leaped to his feet. Colliding with the emperor, he hugged him tightly.
"I'm not leaving the safe house. They won't let me if I tried to." He kissed the albino's head. "Be good." He lifted Sora's chin. "Don't let Raja talk you into sneaking around," he said with a smirk.
The joke didn't work. Sora buried his face in his master's chest with a soft whimper.
"Alright now." Eric ran a hand through the his pet's hair. "You're not a little boy anymore. You need to start acting like an man."
Sora didn't listen and tightened his hold.
"Come on, Sora. I won't be gone long."
The white haired boy loosened his hold and stepped back. "When will you be back?"
"A few hours. Take a nap, it'll help the time go by faster." He placed a soft peck on his pet's lips. "Be good." Opening the door, he stepped into the hall.
Sora looked defeated as he shuffled back over to the couch. He curled up in the corner.
"Nina was right," I muttered. "Free citizens don't know what it's like when someone attacks your home. It hard enough to lose everything and everyone you know, but they don't have to be sold off afterwards."
"Don't say that," snapped Sora in a sharp tone I had never thought he was capable of using. "I'm staying with my master. I won't go with any other man." He pressed one hand to his collar that other went to his heart.
I climbed onto the couch. Sora had it worse than me, if something happened to his owner. With a priceless ruby serving as his heart, he had every right to be afraid. I was afraid too, and I was worth more alive than dead.
I leaned forward and hugged him. "I'm sorry. It's been a bad day."
Sore rested his head on my shoulder. "I think I'm going to go lie down for awhile." He slipped off the couch and went to the bedroom.
The ruffling of blankets came from the room. I thought about going to join him, but figured it would be better to leave him alone. Anger and fear along with a lot of uncertainty was swirling around in my head, and I didn't want to say anything else to hurt him.
I'd wait until Tobias came, and when he did, I was going to make him tell me what was going on. No more secrets. After the bombing they're really wasn't a reason to hide things from me anyways.
***
Sora was being prepared for the day as I sat across from him picking the dirt out from under my nails. Three weeks. Three weeks and the bastard had shown up. I was pissed. If Tobias showed his face now, I was going to punch it in.
No excuse either, he could have sent a message, but nothing. A simple, I'm alive would have been enough. The emperor was trapped in this steel box along with us, so like hell would he knew what the general was actually doing out there. Greatest warrior, more like most insensitive, obnoxious man that ever existed. I was recalling the reasons why I hated Tobias when he first bought me from the factory. Egoistically, spoiled brat, that was his true nature.
"Raja?" asked Sora.
"What?" I snapped, flicking a chunk of dirt across the room.
He sucked in his lips and gave a shy look. "You seem tense."
I bit off a piece of my nail and spit it onto the floor. "Nope, I'm perfectly fine." Rising to my feet, I marched off to an armchair placed in the corner of the room.
Sora's stylists move in to finish up before Eric returned. We were probably in the middle of a war, and they still had time to primp the emperor's pet. The sight was infuriating.
"Raja?" asked a woman with a very pointed nose.
I glanced up at with an annoyed expression.
"We need to get you ready."
"My answer is the same as yesterday." I swung my legs to the side and hung them over the armrest.
"Raja, please. I bet your master won't be happy if he heard how disobedient you've been."
"Tobias can go to hell for all I care," I muttered, folding my arms.
Her mouth fell open. She attempted to stay something, but ended up leaving me alone. I didn't think it mattered that my hair was a tangled mess. My shorts for yesterday were still clean enough, and there's no point in putting back on my collar, since I spent all day locked in this room. Tobias hadn't even bothered to send a message yelling at me to put it back on. The red light was still flickering on it from where it sat on top of a cabinet.
Eric entered with a couple of his bodyguards. He smiled at his pet. "You look beautiful."
Sora stood and beamed up at him.
"No where across every galaxy is there such a beautiful boy." He kissed Sora's cheek. Standing up tall, his eyes flicked over to me. "But you, I doubt Tobias would be happy to see you like this."
I raised an eyebrow. "He got me from surplus, remember."
The emperor laughed as he walked over to me. "That is true. A diamond with a multiple rough edges."
"Hmmm..." I looked away with pursed lips.
"Raja," said Eric calmly. "Please let my staff see to you. I can't leave the general's pet in such a state."
"Tell the general to come see to me himself," I muttered.
"You want to be punished that badly," chuckled Eric.
Pouting, I sunk into the chair.
"Will you let them get you ready for the day?"
With a over exaggerated sigh, I rose out of the chair. "Fine." I marched over to where Sora had been sitting.
"It's always surprising how much you and Tobias are the same." Eric took Sora's hand and led him to the bedroom. "Exact same bitter attitude. He would have punched in a wall, but that's the only difference."
I gritted my teeth and glared at the floor. We were nothing alike. I would have called him.
The stylist set to work fixing my hair. Another picked out some clothes for me to wear. A collar was also placed on the coffee table. I had to resist the urge not to throw it across the room. The hunk of metal was one from the house. Tobias had time to send over a collar, but confirming he hadn't been blown to pieces was too difficult.
Once they were done, I snatched my clothes and marched off to the bathroom. I changed quickly and batted away hands when I return to the living room as they tried to fix how my skirt was lying.
Eric and Sora were waiting. The emperor picked up my collar and opened up the buckle.
"Is this really necessary," I breathed.
He nodded.
I moved my hair out of the way. He placed it around my neck and locked it in place. I let my hair drop and plopped down on the couch.
"Are you coming?"
I peered over at the couple. "Where leaving? You're not going to make us sit in here all day?"
Eric laughed softly. "I didn't get you all dressed up just to piss you off even more, Raja." He opened the door. "You can save that for Tobias."
I leaped to my feet and hurried to them. "He's in so much trouble."
"A scorned woman has nothing on a scorned pet. Right?" Eric pulled Sora to his side.
The albino just smiled sheepishly.
I stayed right on the heels of the guards. I was going to wring that man's neck. Shipping me off like that, and then disappearing, he had a lot of nerve. A pod was waiting for us. I stepped inside and was surprised by the size. This was a lot nicer than any of the others I had seen. I sat down in one of the chairs placed in a line. Eric and Sora sat in the row in front of me.
"Seatbelt, Raja," order the emperor.
I snapped it in place. A number of guards all heavily armed took up the remainder of the seats. Tobias was going to need his own small army to protect him once I found out where he had been hiding.
The pod's engines started. I heard the rush of air signaling a takeoff and shifted in my seat. With a deep breath, I settled in my the ride ahead, thinking about all the ways I could punish Tobias for ignoring me.
***
We stepped out of the pod to find an elevator waiting. The guards ushered us inside the rather large compartment. It fit us all with plenty of space remaining. Eric kept a tight hold on Sora's hand, who looked rather nervous. It was starting to make my own nerves act up. The emperor appeared overly calm, and for some reason, it wasn't making me feel better.
Swallowing hard, I held my head high. The only one who should be nervous was Tobias. I folded my arms and watched the floor panel. The door opened on the thirty-fourth floor. I was the first out and kept my sight peeled for the general.
Voices sounded from down the hall. I marched toward them. The emperor and the others followed behind me. The closest I got to the door, the more I could make out Tobias's voice. I reached for the handle when a round of gunfire sounded on the other side.
I stood frozen, my hand hovering in midair. What had happened? Tobias, he was in there.
Taking in a sharp breath, I started to shake as the door slowly opened. Tobias peered down at me and quickly slipped his gun into the back of his waistband. He grabbed my hand and led me away.
I had seen inside, though. Men in Helix uniforms strung across the room in their own blood, I had seen all of it. Two other men exited the room behind the general. They joined the emperor's group and continued on.
"No one was missing?" asked Eric.
"All were accounted for and taken care of."
"Good."
We reached the staircase. Sora and I had to jog to keep up with their pace up the steps. The roof door was opened for us, and we filed out. A spacecraft was waiting. I stuttered for a moment looking at the other fighting planes, until Tobias tugged on my hand.
What was going on?
He led me onto the plane to the row of seats. The general help me do up the seat's harness, before sitting down and fastening his own. Sora and Eric were across from us. The albino looked paler form usual, and I was sure I did as well. Once everyone was situated, the ramp closed, and we took off soon after.
The room was quiet. My heart was still pounding, though.
"Tobias," I whispered.
He clasped my hand and gave it a squeeze. "I don't tolerate traitors, Raja."
"Those men," I swallowed the lump in my throat.
"Men I trusted. Men that betrayed me. I dealt with them in a way so it will never be possible for it to happen again."
Clasping my forehead, I started gasping for air. I had been stomping around all day, anger he hadn't call, because he was too busy planning a mass execution.
"Deep breaths, Raja." He rubbed the back of my neck.
"I think I'm going to throw up," I said weakly.
Tobias quickly undid my harness and pulled me into his lap. He hugged me tightly to him. "It's alright. For a boy, who tried to take off a man's head with a hoe, I thought you'd handle this better."
"You're not helping," I hissed.
He tucked my head under his chin. "Shh... you're fine. Everything fine. I took care of it."
"Exactly the same," said Eric. "Someone makes you made you throw a fit," he chuckled. "Tobias is simply more violent."