Chapter Eleven
“Mandy.”
The whisper jarred her. Her expectant gaze went to the nearest guard, who was half a dozen feet down the hallway. He didn’t acknowledge her. Puzzled, she glanced over her shoulder.
Urik’s large frame took up most of the hallway behind her. Mandy froze. He beckoned her to follow before moving out of sight down another corridor. She hesitated, uncertain what he wanted, then went.
Urik wore all black and was armed. She wondered how he was able to access the Naki controlled healing ward at all. His eyes went over her from head-to-toe.
“This is Akkadi’s way of protecting you?” he growled. “Turning you into a slave?”
“He’s charming like that,” Mandy replied drily. “What are you doing here?”
“Checking up on you. You need me to run interference for you?”
“No, I’m good. Still looking for a way home.”
Urik frowned. “Come on back. I’ll take you to the star gate.”
“Yeah but do you have the energy to open it?” she challenged, crossing her arms.
“Not yet.”
His enigmatic answer piqued her interest. He mirrored her stance.
“Don’t mess with me, Urik. Can you get me home, if I can get you energy shards?” she asked.
“Yes.”
Her heart somersaulted. “The kids or vaccine or people wouldn’t suffer?”
“My end state is different than Akkadi’s.”
“What is it?”
“Does it matter, if you get home?”
Mandy stared at him. If she found a way to take the energy marbles from Hichele, was she taking away Akkadi’s ability to help the humans? Hichele had forty of them. Wasn’t that enough?
“Mandy?” Kadi called.
“If you find a way to get your hands on shards, contact me,” Urik instructed in a low voice. “Helen knows how.”
Mandy blinked.
“Go.”
She retreated into the hallway. Kadi was a few feet away.
“Sorry. Got distracted,” she mumbled.
He started down the hallway towards the direction the group was headed. Mandy had a headache from trying to figure out what was going on. How could Akkadi claim there wasn’t enough energy to both send her home and save lives while Urik claimed there was?
Akkadi also lied to her about opening the star gate to begin with then took her as a consort without any real intention of sleeping with her. What else was he hiding? Rather, what was he thinking?
Yet it was hard to write him off completely. He had saved her on the planet, healed her at night and wanted her protected.
His sole goal appeared to be saving the humans. She was tired of his flip-flopping moods, but there was no way for her to view his expenditure of resources and time in a negative light when she thought of the diseased planet he was trying to protect.
The man was too complex for her.
Mandy barely registered her surroundings. They returned to the rooftop, Kadi and Subakki went to their ship while she joined the guard waiting at the bottom of the elevator on Helen’s ship.
The visit to her planet left her rattled, disturbed. She thought first of Cesar and telling him what she’d learned. He, too, needed to know what was happening to the people.
The journey back to the station was quick and smooth. She didn’t even notice they moved until the guards descended in the lift to the station bay once more. Barely able to hold still, Mandy waited for Helen and Hichele to lead them away from the space bays with the floor markings Mandy couldn’t interpret.
When she exited the elevator, her eyes went to the floor. She knew these markings: they were on Helen’s deck. Mandy waited for the guards to exit the lift before starting back, somewhat certain she could find her way to the slave quarters from here.
“Helen says to come,” one guard told her.
Mandy grated her teeth. She was in no mood to deal with Hichele for the rest of the day. Her head spun from all she’d seen and learned; she needed a box of space Twinkies, some Kleenexes and a nap.
But she went with the guard.
She didn’t make it back to the slave quarters until hours later. Instead, she spent the day following Helen and Hichele, being whacked by the crop when Helen wasn’t around and generally hating on everyone who dared distract the two women by talking.
By the end of her day, she was ready to explode. Mandy was finally dismissed and returned to the only place that was hers. Her mood grew worse to see Cesar wasn’t there to talk to. She slung herself onto her bed and close her eyes, releasing a deep sigh.
It was the worst day ever. The one where she realized she really might not ever make it home. Rather, the one where she realized that Akkadi was … right. Unless Urik was right. In which case then everything Akkadi said was wrong, which she knew wasn’t entirely the case.
Mandy clutched a pillow. Knowing what she did now about the disease, she wanted to see Akkadi upon his return even less. Something told her he wasn’t going to back down from the talk he wanted them to have.
Rolling onto her back, she stared at the ceiling. The thought of him made her body fevered. He didn’t want her, and she didn’t want to stay with anyone else, if she had to stay at all.
“Mandy.” By Wren’s excited tone, she had some sort of gossip.
Mandy didn’t move, too depressed to bother. Wren sat on her bed.
“Vekko wants you. I heard he made a deal with Akkadi for you before they left for Kini.”
“Great,” Mandy muttered. It was the final slap in the face from the cold alien prince.
“Are you not pleased?”
“I guess.”
Wren leaned into her line of sight, her yellow eyes large and eerie.
Only here would that not freak me out, Mandy said to herself.
“No, Mandy, you don’t understand. Not as a consort but as his mate!”
“I really would prefer to go home,” Mandy complained.
“Maybe you can take him home with you. The Naki colonize many planets.”
Mandy visualized how that might play out. Showing up at her apartment and explaining to her boyfriend she not only got sent ten thousand years into the future but married an alien and brought him back. Would her boyfriend mind adding Vekko to the lease? Oh, and what would an alien do in her time anyway for a job?
He could model, she admitted. Akkadi and his cousins were sexy enough but their temperaments …
“I’m not sure he would fit in,” she replied. “My world is very different.”
“You should ask him,” Wren said.
“Okay,” Mandy said, more interested in quieting the woman intruding on her moment of peace and quiet.
Wren appeared pleased. “I heard something else.” Her laugh sounded like a weird warble, drawing Mandy’s gaze.
“What?” Mandy asked, despite her irritation.
“Hichele is with child.”
“No surprise. She seems pretty determined to land her a man here.”
“It’s not her betrothed’s.”
Mandy sat up. “Really?”
“It’s what I heard when I was in the healer’s ward.” Wren grinned.
“That bitch deserves to get thrown off the station!” Mandy said. It was the first piece of good news she’d heard all day. “Whose is it?”
Wren shrugged. “I didn’t hear much.”
“How sure are you? Is this one of your rumors that isn’t true?”
“I heard it from one of the healers. He was talking to a member of Hichele’s family. I think they mean to hush it up,” Wren said. “It’s as good as any rumor.”
“So what happens now? Does she get ejected into space or anything?”
Wren laughed.
Mandy pretended to pout.
“The Naki-prince she’s promised to can still take her as his mate and adopt the child, if he wishes to, like the Naki queen did the children of her sister. But only if the child is not diseased.”
“Well, I don’t want the baby to be hurt,” Mandy said, thoughts on the children she saw earlier. “I knew she was trouble.”
“The slaves who traveled with her tell awful stories of how she treats them,” Wren said, smile fading. “It is permitted on their planet to beat them.”
No shit. Mandy rubbed her forearms absently. She had started to have some modicum of respect for Hichele upon seeing the Naki woman so affected by the sight of the kids. Until she raised a crop to those trying to get close to her.
Mandy had no idea what to think of any of the Nakis. Hichele was a psycho-whore, Akkadi didn’t know what he wanted, and Helen was trying to manipulate everyone for a goal Mandy didn’t understand.
Urik’s offer was more tempting by the minute. If she hadn’t suspected he was after something besides energy, she would find out where the energy marbles went and grab them.
“I went to Earth and saw all the sick kids today,” Mandy said. “I don’t understand why there’s no cure.”
“The plague claimed all my siblings,” Wren said. “I was the only to survive. The Naki have built healing wards all across the galaxy for the ill.”
“They seem so unlikely to care. I don’t know what to think.”
“It is not about caring. It is about duty. Their king has declared this is it, and so they obey.”
“I suppose,” Mandy murmured. Akkadi’s duties were nothing to scoff at, but she couldn’t get over their rabid devotion to a race of people they refused to acknowledge was theirs, too. “Thanks for telling me Hichele is a whore. You made my day.”
“She’s slept with all the Naki princes.”
“Even Akkadi?”
“Yes.”
Bitch. What did Akkadi see in Hichele that he didn’t see in Mandy? She couldn’t imagine why he would sleep with someone like Hichele and not her. Except that she was human – but so was he.
“This place is messed up,” Mandy said and lay back on her bed.
“Helen wishes to see you.” The guard’s sudden whisper made her jump.
“I’ll never get used to that,” she snapped and rose. “I gotta go, Wren. Thanks for the info.” She was dismissed because it was time for bed. She wondered what made Helen summon her now.
Wren smiled. Mandy went to the door. To her surprise, no guard awaited her, as if they somehow knew she was able to find her way around the station well enough to find Helen’s quarters.
It took her a few minutes longer than she planned. Mandy walked into someone else’s apartment first. It was empty, and she retreated, realizing she was still one-off in her ability to find the right place.
She entered the panel beside the first, relieved to see the two towering guards in silver that indicated she’d found the right place. She walked into Helen’s quarters.
The Naki queen was moving with alacrity Mandy hadn’t seen in her yet. She appeared to be shoving a change of clothing into a palm-sized box. She looked up at Mandy’s entrance.
Mandy stopped in place, alarmed by the haunted expression on Helen’s face.
“Akkadi and Vekko were attacked in Kini orbit,” Helen’s tight voice was hoarse. “I’m taking Kadi and my second born daughter, Vasha with me to try to negotiate their release.”
“Mother, I must object.” Akkasha, the eldest daughter, said from across the room.
“I’ve heard your objections, dear, and I’m going.”
“Father would not approve.”
“I’ve already told him,” Helen replied.
Mandy listened, uncertain why her chest seized up at the mention of Akkadi in danger. He was more than capable of taking care of himself. Why was she having trouble moving from her spot? Already tired, her brain felt frozen.
“Then I should go,” Akkasha insisted. She wore her silver uniform with multi-hued sashes. Her dark hair was up, her blue eyes sharp in her peachy face. She was beautiful and small, like her mother.
“No you will not,” Helen said firmly. “I am by far the most senior negotiator. And if something happens to me, you’ll be safe here. Your father needs his heir.”
Mandy almost barked a counterargument, but Akkasha beat her to it.
“Father needs his mate first,” she snapped.
“You’re staying here,” Helen said firmly. “Mandy, I fear I must leave you to assist Hichele for a day or so, until this is straightened out.”
“Is Akkadi hurt?” Mandy heard herself ask. She flushed immediately, not intending for the words to emerge.
Helen met her gaze. “We’re not certain. Their vessel was captured during a peace mission.” She forced a smile.
“Should you not be more concerned about Vekko, your intended?” Akkasha eyed her.
“I didn’t agree to shit,” Mandy replied. “Definitely not to marry a stranger.”
Akkasha gave her the same look Akkadi did when she spoke to boldly.
“Mandy’s place here is also a topic for discussion some other time,” Helen said sharply.
“As you wish, mother,” Akkasha replied, displeased. “I’m beginning to think these humans are better suited to living with those like Urik than us.”
“I agree!” said Mandy.
“Don’t start, you two,” Helen said. “We’ll work out things when all of us are back here safely.”
Mandy heard the concern in her voice and understood the mother of ten was beyond worried about the two princes. Mandy bit her tongue and watched Helen pack the box.
“Mandy, you may go,” Helen glanced up again. “I’ll do everything I can to bring them both back safely.”
Mandy hesitated to leave. She wanted to ask more about Akkadi. Her hands were trembling, though she wasn’t certain why she was worried about a man who hadn’t wanted much to do with her.
“Travel safely,” she murmured. Mandy turned and left. She passed through the antechamber and into the hallway, stopping to try to digest the latest realization of her day.
She really didn’t want Akkadi hurt. Or captured. She tried to tell herself it was because she didn’t want someone as kind as Helen to worry, but Mandy couldn’t shake the sense that she had feelings of her own towards the difficult man. He’d been her anchor since she arrived, and his touch left her calm and hot for him. She could barely stand him, and yet the thought of never seeing him again was unbearable.
What did that mean?
She shook her head. There was no way she’d sleep well after her day. Her thoughts even heavier, Mandy took her time finding her way back to the dorms. A massive guard in dark yellow stood outside her destination.
“Hichele requires your presence.”
Mandy froze in the middle of the hallway, despising the Naki woman even more. Without Helen there, Hichele wasn’t going to be as discreet about using the switch. Mandy drew a few deep breaths.
The guard stepped away, beckoning to her to follow.
Mandy went reluctantly. While pleased she had dirt on the despicable woman, she didn’t look forward to dealing with her, especially when she was already tired.
They descended several floors in the elevator. Mandy’s eyes went to the floor markings. It was a noble floor, but she couldn’t figure out anything else. She assumed she was being led to Hichele’s quarters. Two yellow guards stood outside one panel, where the one leading her motioned for her to go.
Mandy stepped into it, not expecting the panel to lead directly into the apartment. There was no antechamber here, and a quick glance around revealed the apartment was a third the size of Akkadi’s.
Two forms were at the windows opposite the door, arguing quietly. Hichele’s face was flushed while the man Mandy had seen her with earlier who looked like her father was also red.
Mandy took up a spot against a wall, relieved she wasn’t the center of attention. Another guard in yellow stood like a statue nearby. Her mind was still trying to grasp at Akkadi’s danger and why it made her heart race like she was about to run away from some sort of monster.
Father and daughter argued quietly for a few more minutes before the Naki man strode out, clearly unhappy. Mandy didn’t bother to bow, her attention going to Hichele, who was pacing.
Akkadi slept with that and didn’t want her?
“He find out your womb is filled with the wrong man’s son?” Mandy couldn’t stop the words.
Hichele’s eyes snapped to her. “How did you…”
“Slaves talk.”
Hichele spun and stormed across the room. Mandy saw her grab the switch and prepared herself to rumble. This time, she wasn’t going to be a punching bag. She’d punch the ugly woman right square in the face.
“I know you are not from here, but you deserve no such high regard from the Naki queen!” Hichele raged. “You are rude and don’t know your place. How you have not been ejected into space, I don’t know!”
“The feeling is mutual,” Mandy replied.
“The Naki rulers are far too kind to their slaves! It is not so where I’m from.”
Mandy shifted. Hichele had grabbed the switch but wasn’t moving forward to attack her. Her shrewd gaze narrowed, as if she was thinking of something far worse to do to Mandy.
“A slave who acts as you have towards me is killed for insubordination. I cannot kill you, not when you are a favorite of the queen.” Hichele motioned to a wall, and one of the ten-foot guards stepped away. “But I can reinforce that this is not acceptable.”
The guard approached her and placed weapons on a table near the cramped sitting area. Mandy watched, not understanding what was going on.
“From this day forward, you will obey every thing I say, and you will do so silently!” Hichele snarled.
The towering guard stepped in front of Mandy. At six feet tall, she was unaccustomed to feeling short. Right now, she felt miniscule. She inched back against the wall.
“You have any idea what you’re doing?” she hissed at the irate Naki woman. “If Helen finds out –”
“If you tell her, I will kill you and Cesar in your sleep.”
“Easy to avoid,” Mandy shot back. “We’ll just sleep with the Naki royalty!”
“Then I’ll poison you. Slowly. Painfully. It will make the plague look like a kindly way to die.”
Mandy cocked her head to the side, startled by the mention of poison after hearing the servants joke about the rumors. Before the thought stuck, what felt like a brick smashed into her face.
The guard’s first punch almost knocked her out. She dropped, mind half taken by swirling blackness while her ears rang. Pain ripped through her. She touched the skin around her eye, which didn’t just sting but was jagged. She pulled her hand away, horrified to see blood. He’d broken her skull with one blow.
“This is how we teach our slaves to behave,” Hichele said, kneeling beside her. “Do not ever raise your voice to me or even speak to me again!”
She whacked Mandy with the switch, the pain of which was nothing compared to the fire in her face. Mandy clutched her head, praying something horrible like her eye falling out didn’t happen. Consumed by the agony in her head, she didn’t see Hichele rise.
But she saw the guard come towards her again, his massive fist raised for another blow. Mandy covered her head instinctively, unable to stand with the sensations tearing through her body.
“Teach her a lesson then take her to the healing ward,” Hichele ordered. “Don’t kill her this time.”
His fist fell again, this time into her rib cage. Mandy felt them snap like twigs and let out a strangled cry. The third blow fell across her shoulders, and the fourth drove her into darkness. As she slipped out of consciousness, her last thought was of Akkadi holding her while she stared at what remained of her world.
She could almost see herself staying in his arms forever.
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