Enslave Me Sweetly

Chapter 25

Though I remained on alert, I released my energy-hold on the knife and necklace and they clanged to the floor. I quickly reentered my body and popped to my feet. Devyn stayed true to his word and didn’t call for his men, nor did he try to kill me. He merely pushed to his feet, then dusted off his kilt (or whatever the hell that skirt thing was called). All the while, a dark expression tightened his handsome features.

I gathered the fallen items and faced him directly. “You got something to say?”

“I am very angry about this.”

“You’ll get over it. How long until the next solar flare?”

At first, he didn’t answer. He shoved a hand through his hair and stared up at the ceiling, before finally expelling a long breath. “A solar flare isn’t needed. Come,” he said, the single word whipping out with the force of a bullet. He spun on his heel.

I followed after him, still not dropping my guard. “What do you mean, one is not needed?”

“Solar flares are only needed to travel from Earth, not Targon. Here we use the Skyway.”

The gel-like pool, I realized. I tucked that information away, knowing I’d have to give a full report to Michael.

When Devyn and I strode into the narrow hallway that led into the white stone room where I’d found the necklaces, the guards posted at the walls stood at perfect attention. I was so agitated, so ready to be home, my limbs were shaking.

“Open,” Devyn said.

Two of the men immediately complied, prying the doors apart. Devyn and I slipped inside. As the doors closed behind us, Devyn said, “This human of yours.” His tone displayed a complete lack of interest, but I knew better. He didn’t turn to look at me. “What makes him so special? And do not tell me he is yours. There is a reason, something that sets him apart.”

I leapt up the stairs two at a time, the king right on my heels. This man was taking me to Lucius and the enslaved women, so I was feeling generous toward him. “He stirs something inside me,” I answered. “He fires my blood in a way I don’t understand.”

“I could do the same. I promise you.”

“Perhaps. Perhaps not.”

A pause. Then, “What if I am taking you back to Earth simply to kill your human and get him out of my way? If he’s not already dead,” he added. He took the necklace I still held and wrapped it around his neck.

“He’s not, and you know I’ll kill you if you hurt him.” I had placed a lot of trust in this one self-centered man. But I was prepared to kill him at any time—if he didn’t kill me first. I was willing to take the chance, though.

“I want you for my own,” he said. “I haven’t tried to hide that fact.”

“You do have some pride, don’t you?”

“Not really.” A wicked twinkle entered his eyes, and he grabbed my hand, jerking me to a stop. Light from the Skyway caressed his face, illuminating his pale skin. His dark hair wisped over his forehead. “Why don’t we strike another bargain, you and I, hmm? I’ll give you my royal oath to help you save your man if you’ll give me a single night with you.”

I flipped my hair over my shoulder with a flick of my wrist. “We made a bargain already. I didn’t knife you, and now you’re taking me home.”

“Ah, but I can do more than simply take you home. I can save your man…and take you to EenLi.”

He was deadly serious, no hint of teasing in his expression. The wicked twinkle was gone. I stood, watching him, bathed in indecision. Trust him. Not trust him. Either way, he’d just offered me something I couldn’t turn down, no matter the price.

“Deal,” I said, the word a hard knot in my throat.

He nodded. “The deal must be sealed in blood.” He kneeled, dragging me down with him, and unsheathed a blade from his side. I tensed, but didn’t move as he sliced the silver tip down his bare chest. Amber blood dripped down his rippled muscles. “Give me your arm.”

Tentative, I stretched my arm toward him. He clasped my wrist and slipped the blade over the skin, cutting. Not deep, just enough to draw blood. He lifted my wrist and meshed it against the wound in his chest. I could feel his heartbeat, a rapid bump, bump.

“You have my vow of aid, Eden Black. Your man and your enemy will be mine to give you.” He motioned to me with a tilt of his chin. “Now you.”

“You have my vow, Devyn,” I said, shaking inside. If there were any other way, I’d take it. But there wasn’t, and I knew it. “One night with me.”

After the words were spoken, the air around us thickened, became as dappled as the Skyway. A living force. I blinked and gazed around in shock. I even reached out, sliding my fingertips over the jelly-like air. It was as cool and ephemeral as a dream.

“To break either vow means death,” he said, standing. He pulled me up beside him. He watched me for a long while, then nodded. “The bargain is now struck. Come.”

We zigzagged through several more hallways and finally hit the top of the stairs. My arm burned, but I ignored the slight pain. Devyn grabbed my hand and tugged me toward the pool.

“I need a necklace, too,” I said, dragging my feet to slow him.

“Just hold on to me, and you will be fine.” He flicked me an unreadable glance. “There is still time to change your mind.”

“No.”

“Very well,” he sighed.

“What happens if—” I wanted to know what would happen if we became separated, but he pulled me inside the oddly dry jelly before I could finish my sentence. I was sucked into a vacuum. My feet lost their solid anchor, and my heartbeat quickened, nearly exploding inside my chest. Screams erupted, winding around me like ivy leaves reaching for the sun. Too-bright stars buzzed past my head.

A terrible wind kicked up, shoving me from every angle. I had to fight to remain upright, and clutched desperately at Devyn’s hand. Round and round we began to spin, stars winking and flashing at me.

The wind became so violent, the Targon was ripped from my grip. “No!” I screamed. “Devyn!” He wore the necklace. I needed him to reach Earth. Didn’t I? Without him…Blindly I groped the air with both hands, searching for him. For any type of anchor.

Instead of finding him, I felt everything still. The screams ceased abruptly. The lights faded. My feet hit a solid foundation. I swayed. My pulse continued to hammer, but I regained my equilibrium. I opened my eyes. And gasped.

I stood in an open forest of tall, green trees. Cool air enveloped me, not dry but humid. Crickets chirped a lazy tune, and moonlight dripped hazy rays on the grass. I sucked in a breath, inhaling familiar scents of pine and dirt. Of Earth.

Golden tendrils of hair were glued to my temples, and I pushed them back with shaky fingers. I’d made it. I’d truly returned. I scanned the area for the Targon.

He wasn’t here.

I couldn’t concern myself with him right now. I had to find a phone. Had to call Michael. I sprinted through the trees, my determination giving me swift wings. Gnarled limbs whipped at my face, and stones and twigs attempted to trip my feet. I ran for over an hour, toward the buildings I saw towering on the horizon. Breath burned my throat and lungs, but I never slowed.

When I reached the first building, I realized they were homes. Only one glowed with internal lights. I ran to the front door and slammed my fists against the thick oak entrance. When no one answered, I banged harder.

“Stop that racket,” someone shouted from above. “I’m trying to sleep.”

My gaze followed the sound, and I found myself staring up at a silver-headed man with a wrinkled, irritated face. “I need to use your phone.”

“You need to learn how to shut up. I’m tired.”

Scowling, I grabbed a rock from the colorful, blooming garden and broke the window. I didn’t have time to pick the lock or mess with the ID box. Their security system erupted in a series of high-pitched beeps. I reached through the shattered glass, cringed when a sharp piece sliced my skin, adding another wound, and ripped the lock system from the side wall. The door opened of its own accord.

I shoved my way inside.

The silver-headed man was racing down the steps, and now he had a civilian pyre-gun in hand. “I’m armed,” he shouted, “and I will shoot to kill.”

I moved swiftly, met him halfway, and tripped him down the stairs. He squeezed off a shot, but the stream of fire whizzed past my shoulder. As he fell, I wrenched the gun from his hands. By the time he reached the bottom, I had the barrel pointed at his heart.

“Where’s your phone?” I demanded, my aim steady and sure.

“Don’t hurt me,” he cried.

“Just tell me where your phone is, and you’ll be fine.”

Tears streamed down his cheeks as he pointed a shaky finger to a nearby table. I hated that I had terrified the human, but I didn’t have time for niceties.

“You move and you die. Understand?”

A sob racked him, but he nodded.

Keeping the pyre-gun directed on him, I walked backward to the table. With one hand, I punched Michael’s number into the unit. The silver-headed man never moved a muscle.

“This is Black,” my boss soon answered.

How wonderful it was to hear his voice. “Michael, Lucius has been shot.”

“Eden?” Shock and happiness and relief mingled in his tone. “My God, Eden, tell me it’s you. You’ve been gone three days without a word. We lost your signal, and I thought—”

“I’m fine, but I don’t have a lot of time.” Three days had passed, yet only one had passed on Targon. “Have you spoken to Lucius? Has he checked in?”

“Last he checked in, he told me you had been abducted as planned and he was going in to buy you. After that, we never heard from him again. We’ve been searching for him but haven’t caught a trace. We had your location locked, and even checked there. Nothing. What’s going on?”

“Jonathan Parker shot him.”

“Is he de—”

“No!” I shouted. I still wasn’t ready to consider the possibility. “I think EenLi has him now and means to sell him as a slave. There are five women, too, meant to be put up for sale. Has EenLi been spotted at all?”

“No, but Jonathan Parker was found dead.”

“I know. I killed him. Michael,” I said, my voice shaky. “I need you.”

“Where the hell are you, sweetie? I’ll be there as fast as I can.”

“Where am I?” I demanded of the man at the foot of the stairs. My urgency made me sound fierce, lethal.

His already pale face went white at my renewed attention, and he gaggled out a few unintelligible sounds.

“Tell me where I am,” I said gently. “Please. I’m not going to hurt you.”

My gentleness lifted him out of his terror-filled shock. “New Mon-montana,” he stuttered.

“New Montana,” I told Michael. “Can you get my signal now?”

“Let’s see.” A moment passed, the sound of his breathing and the clicking of computer keys the only sound. “Got you now,” he said with satisfaction. “We’ll get you home, baby, we’ll get you home.”

“No. I need you to take me back to New Dallas. Back to the house they kept me in. EenLi is still here, I know it, and that means Lucius is here, too. They might still be inside. We’ve got to save him, Michael. The others, too.”

“We will,” he said, hearing my panic. “We will. I promise you.”

The sound of police sirens penetrated the background. Their blue and red lights soon followed. “Just get here as fast as you can,” I said and left the house the same way I’d come.