uncivil
Looking at the familiar faces was bittersweet. Godrick was instantly alert and checking the immediate area. Kar was in a fighting stance, while Frick checked Kellum over.
Jess noted Pensley's absence the same instant she realized that none of them were happy to see her. None of them gave two figs about her. Frick barely glanced her way.
Hiding her upset, she reached for her slippers and ignored the next two groups that arrived.
She really needed to learn how he was able to call things to him. That little gift would have come in handy more times than she could count.
"You are to wait here until Dezrick gives the order. Remember your instructions. I expect to see all of you without a scratch when we end this."
How very cocky. She just hoped he had the ass kicking skills needed to back it up.
The hand on her shoulder made her skin crawl. Or at least that is what she was telling herself.
She nearly tripped to get away from his touch.
Now everyone in the room looked at her.
"When we leave this room, you need to listen to my every instruction. Are we clear, Jessalynn?"
"How about I make myself clear? Don't call me that, and I don't need you to save me. I was doing just fine on my own. You get in my way and I'll leave you behind."
Kellum held his hand up to stop Kar's move in Jess's direction.
"Forget this shit." Jess found herself on the other side of the door alone. She should have never asked for his help. He was the last person she wanted to beholden to.
Before she could even check to see if anyone was around, he was at her side.
He caught her shoulder again. "If I know anything about you it is that you will do anything to keep Julian safe. Even if that means having to listen to me and follow some rules. I am trying to keep your feelings into consideration but if I at any time feel like you are putting yourself in danger, I will take you away from here. Do you understand me, Jessalynn?"
She grinded her teeth together to keep from telling him to fuck off. Her eyes shooting daggers at him, she gave a quick nod.
"Once we are done here, we___."
She jerked away from him and headed down the short hall that would take her to where the raours and their men usually had meals.
She would rather stay here with these Neanderthal women than to ever let him finish that conversation. All she was going to do is play nice, till she had what she wanted. Julian.
"Dezrick?"
"Clear. Once you enter the next room stay to the right. I will open doors that are clear and give you a path to the human Julian. He only has one with him now so once you are in his room, you'll have to deal with his companion."
"Jessalynn, where is your cell located?"
"Inner rooms. There are a few cells down there and a torture room of sorts. Once past that you get to the holding cells where all the slaves are kept. I know or have at least met most of the kitchen slaves but there are more down there as well. All women. Except for maybe a handful. Most the men are kept out here."
"Dezrick, I am sending the next set of warriors to the cell. Tell them to file out into other cells until they hear my command to move out."
"Tell them there's a boy who lives in the walls down there and they are not to hurt him."
"I have had no luck with the control room. How would you like to proceed?"
"Status?" Kellum asked the voice that was emitted from the computer unit at his wrist.
"Five are there in total. Two of which I believe are preoccupied at the moment. None of them seem to have a job to do."
"Tell Stridex and Mondondo I am sending for them next. I want my guards, my brother and Damous to escort them to the control room. Tell them I want this ship off the floor of the gulf and onto dry land."
She was in complete agreement to that.
"The human Julian is behind the next door."
Kellum stopped her before she could go any farther, but he addressed Dezrick.
"Weapons?"
"In the room but not within reach at the moment."
"Does she have a way to notify her people of our presence?"
"Not one that I have found. These people are ill prepared for a hostel take over."
Jess grunted. "Maybe so but most of them are big and they train a lot. Don't underestimate them. And did I mention their swords shoot rays of some kind?"
"Duly noted, human Jessalynn."
"I go first. Once the room is secure, you may enter. Dezrick, tell me what I will be looking at?"
"Both occupants are near the center of the room. I believe one is bathing and one is laying on a pallet."
"Which is the enemy?"
"The one standing."
Jess swore if he asked one more question she was going to scream. If she'd been on her own, she'd already be in Julian's arms by now.
She also didn't know why he had wasted the time telling her to wait because as soon as he filed in the room, she was right behind him.
Her eyes locked on the one person in the room she cared about. He looked freaking great!
Hair shaggy and clean. Damn her guy looked good in his loincloth.
He didn't look like he didn't care about her anymore. He didn't look like he had more important things to deal with than her.
His eyes locked on her and no one else in the room matter to him.
She lurched herself at him and he caught her in a tight hug.
"Jess. God baby, where have you been? I never thought I would see you again. I didn't know if you were here or not."
"I couldn't find you. I swear I never stopped looking for you."
"I know, baby. I know. Do you know how worried I've been? How insane I've been going? Raraja didn't believe you could be here, but I knew better. No way in hell trouble comes knocking on the door and you're not there to greet it."
"I don't even know how we got here. I just woke up and you were gone."
He caught her face and he tensed as he took in her appearance. "Ah, baby, what did they do to you?"
"It doesn't matter as long as you're okay. Did they hurt you? Are you sick? Slenzer says_____."
"I'm okay. If I'm sick, I'm not showing any of the signs yet."
Since he had already looked over her twice, she pulled him back into her arms. "I'll take you to the cure. We'll_____"
"I'm okay, you're the one that looks hurt. Who did this to you, Jess?"
"Doesn't matter. You matter." Damn if the waterworks didn't start.
"Whoever did this to you will pay. I haven't been allowed out of this damn room but Raraja has been looking for you every day. Once we found you, she was going to help us find a way off this ship. Can you believe we were fucking abductive?"
"Not so hard to believe. Damn aliens will be the death of me."
"Not all of them are so bad. Raraja isn't like the others." He smiled. "You'll hate her, but you have to meet her anyway. She.... "
Frowning, he trailed off as he looked past Jess. Pulling her off him, he jumped to his feet and then pulled her behind him.
He looked pissed and ready to fight. "Get that sword away from her neck. She's not a danger to you."
Jess stepped around him, so she could take in the scene as well. Kellum had a small, pretty girl pressed against a wall with the tip of a very big sword pressed against her neck.
Big damn sword, or Jess would borrow it to run the other girl through with it.
"I mean it, Kellum. She's not going to hurt anyone. She's as much a prisoner here as we are."
"Babe, I beg to differ. She's the one who did most of this to my face."
Julian paled. Looked down to see if she was serious then paled some more before looking back at the other two. "Raraja?"
Pretty girl looked pissed. She killed Jess with a look before finally glancing Julian's way.
"I told you what you wanted to hear so that I'd get what I wanted. Be glad you were not given to one of the other ones or they would have just forced the issue. I knew you would not last for long so why not play a game for a while. It was fun watching you fall for me. It was also fun beating the fuck out of this slave. She's going to pay heavily for entering my room and once she's back on her knees bleeding at my feet, you and I will play a new game. I'm going to take the weak feelings you have for this girl and choke you with them."
Jess had heard enough. She went after her. When Julian tried to stop her, she just blinked away from him. Even Kellum couldn't have anticipated what she did next.
Maybe she wasn't the best fighter in the world and maybe this alien slut who was considered small was still way bigger than her, but none of that was going to matter. Jess was going to make her pay for the pain she'd just inflicted on Julian.
One minute they were on the ship and next they were in the middle of the swamp.
There was a cabin not too far away that her grandfather, the one not on her mother's side, had used when he hunted and fished. He'd brought her and Julian here a long time ago for the weekend. Worse weekend of her life. Bugs that would try and carry you off. Snakes and all kinds of other things. No Wi-Fi, and definitely no phone services. The only way in or out was by boat.
When the she ass went to grab her, Jess blinked away from her. Grabbed, a sturdy stick, then blinked back long enough to swing with all her might.
Jess smirked at the sight of the girl's purple blood. That felt good but not near good enough. It was bad enough the bitch had use her like a punching bag and brought all her friends to do the same, but she hurt the one person who's never hurt anybody.
Bitch was going to die.
Before she could flash back at her again a hand gripped her stick.
"If you want me to kill her I will, or we can get back to the job at hand." Kellum calmly watched her for her answer.
Damn if she wouldn't like to knock that damn blank look off his damn face. "Leave her here. Something will eat her for dinner."