Alien Prince: (Bride of Qetesh) An Alien SciFi Romance (43 page)

“
It knows me
…”
she marveled, pressing her palms against the console like she was gently stroking a living creature. I felt my heart drop like a stone into the pit of my stomach. I realized only then that I had held out hope that our plan would fail, that she would stay with me forever.

“
To access the mainframe, say
‘
mainframe
’
; to access engine diagnostics, say
‘
engine diagnostics
’
; to access life support systems, say
‘
life support systems
’
.
”

Novalyn rolled her eyes.
“
God, even with all of this advanced technology, they still construct these things for morons.
”

“
To access the communications panel, say
‘
communications panel
’
; to access
— ”

“
Communications panel!
”

My lady flung her hand out and gripped mine, lacing our fingers together. She seemed excited by our process, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet.

“
Communications panel. To access internal communications, say
‘
internal communications
’…”
The machine went on speaking like this for a while until some of Novalyn
’
s enthusiasm had died down. Finally, it said,
“
To send a distress signal
— ”

“
Distress signal!
”

She held my hand, she gave it a squeeze; I did not know how to feel, but I could not shake a cold sense of disappointment as our plan came to fruition.

“
Thank you. A distress signal has been sent to: the
Atria
, Federation Ship 4199. Main Menu. Welcome. I am Federation Ship 45813, the
Arclight
. I am an internal AI. Please choose from the main menu
…”

“
So, that is all, then?
”
she asked, and I reached out to switch off the console the same way she
’
d turned it on. We were cast suddenly into silence and darkness.

“
It would appear so,
”
I whispered. She drew nearer to me then, snaking her arm about my waist and leaning her cheek against my chest.

“
Thank you,
”
she murmured.
“
Thank you for helping me.
”

I wanted to tell her there was nothing I would not do for her, that she could always rely on me to be at her beck and call. And perhaps I would have if, as I leaned in to press a kiss to the top of her head, we had not been interrupted by the sound of a familiar voice.

“
I was wondering when you would be back, Odrik Nuh
’
ar.
”
I gave a start and shot around, my eyes landing on Fegar Gael. In his fist, he gripped a chain that was attached to a collar worn by the girl we had seen him take. On his other side was his constant companion, Yorn, tall and spindly and hunched forward with his fingers steepled in front of him.

His mate wore nothing, save the collar about her neck and the same little jewels on her nipples that I had seen on Novalyn. Her hair was black, thick, with elegant waves, and she wore it high. Her skin was the color of a snow-crested mountain top, and her eyes were black as mine. When he had tugged her fully into the space, she obediently dropped down onto her knees and bent herself forward so that her cheek was pressed to the cold metal flooring. She shifted so that her bottom was to Fegar, and reached back with both hands to spread her cleft wide open. He had, no doubt, trained her to assume this position at all times; she seemed eager in her obedience.

Novalyn and I cast glances between us, her eyes wide with alarm, and I squeezed her close to me, enfolding her in a protective embrace.

“
I do not know how you have come to have a female, Odrik Nuh
’
ar, but you will turn her over to us immediately,
”
Yorn growled, running his tongue over his lips as his eyes swept over my Novalyn. The bulge in his breeches was visible even to me; no doubt he was at his wits
’
end, spending all of his time around a naked, open girl he could not touch.

“
Absolutely not,
”
I spat back.
“
I see how you treat your women. I would not subject my lady to such humiliation as this.
”

Fegar chuckled wryly and crouched down by the girl, like she was his little pet.
“
On the contrary, Odrik,
”
he hissed,
“
this is my Queen.
”
He ran his fingers over her backside and down the sensitive slit between her thighs, and her eyes came to a close. A little groan escaped her lips as Fegar slid two of his thick fingers into her.
“
And she loves me dearly. Do you not, my Queen?
”

“
Ja, Fylkir,
”
she answered in my native tongue.
Yes, my King.
After a moment, Fegar pulled his fingers free and stood upright, licking her juices from them as he moved.
“
At any rate, you have no say over the matter, Exile. You will hand her over.
”

“
I am not a sack of grain to be traded,
”
Novalyn shouted.

Fegar quirked a brow, confused by Novalyn
’
s sudden outburst. He was not wearing a translator, so her noises sounded like gibberish to him, despite the fact that she could understand him quite clearly.

“
What did the little shrew say?
”
Fegar asked.

I couldn
’
t help but smile a bit, showing my teeth.
“
She said she was not a sack of grain, that she would not be traded amongst us.
”

“
Of course not, my dear,
”
Fegar said, turning his eyes on her.
“
You are much more valuable than that. You shall belong to Yorn, and you shall spread your legs for him, and you shall bear him a litter of Qetlings.
”

“
I shall do no such thing, you son of a bitch,
”
she spat back. Fegar arched a brow, his smile fading. He did not need a translation to know what she had said.

“
She is mine, Fegar,
”
I asserted.
“
I have already had her. And according to Qeteshi law
— ”

“
Yes, yes, according to Qeteshi law, she is your wife. A pity we have to make a widow of her so soon after the marriage
’
s consummation.
”

“
What?
”
Novalyn asked, her panic rising.

“
Take her,
”
he said to Yorn, and Yorn advanced immediately, curling his fingers around Novalyn
’
s arm. I did not hesitate to punch him in the throat, and he dropped to the floor like
he
was the sack of grain. He writhed where he landed, gripping his neck, trying to catch his breath.

“
Oh, get up, Yorn,
”
Fegar hissed, and tugged his
‘
Queen
’
to standing as well. As Yorn began to climb to his feet, I turned my eyes on Novalyn and whispered,
“
Run.
”

She gave an almost imperceptible nod before we both sprang into action. I landed a few solid hits on Fegar, using the points of my knuckles to make contact with his jaw, and the side of his head, just below his horn. It was enough to jostle the chain from his hands, enough to get his hands up in a defensive position, but it was not long before Yorn had joined the fray, and swiped my feet out from under me. I crashed to the floor, my hip digging painfully into the screws that bolted the metal plating in place, and struggled to stand again with Yorn on top of me the way he was.

But it was over in an instant, when Fegar
’
s mate shouted,
“
I have her!
”
And we all froze to look in the direction of his little slave Queen. She had taken the chain that bound her to Fegar and caught Novalyn around the neck with it. She was holding it taut, and Novalyn was gasping for air and clawing desperately at the links about her throat.

“
Please, do not hurt her,
”
I shouted, holding a hand up. Novalyn wriggled where she stood, the fear painted plainly across her face. Fear, and something else: something like regret.

“
Take them,
”
Fegar said on the wings of an exasperated sigh.
“
Lock them both up. The girl can spend the night considering her options: either she may throw herself on her husband
’
s funeral pyre, or she can become Yorn
’
s mate after his death.
”
He turned his cold, dead eyes on me then.
“
For either way, Odrik Nuh
’
ar, you shall be executed come the morning.
”

Fegar had a team of cronies come and fetch us like common criminals. They marched us down to the bowels of the
Arclight
until we’d reached the brig, cells with metal walls and iron bars and two small windows toward the ceiling that showed we had reached the dead of night. Everyone else was wearing thick fur coats and boots, but Odrik and I had been relieved of our pack, and we were left in our light summerday clothing.

They hurled us unceremoniously into the cell and slammed the iron bars closed behind us, leaving us to sit, cold and alone, in the darkness of the cell. I ran forward and curled my fingers around the bars, giving them a shake with all my might.
“
You can
’
t just
leave us here!
”
I shouted into the blackness, but the guards had already gone home to the warmth of their own beds. I supposed it didn
’
t matter to them if we froze to death in the night when they were planning to execute us in the morning anyway.

No, not us. I could have a way out.

I drooped down onto the floor and sat cross-legged on the icy metal. I couldn
’
t look at Odrik. I couldn
’
t stand it. It was my fault that he was in this position. I heard him move to the far end of the room, which was not terribly large to begin with, no larger than his old dwelling. He sat, and I smiled a little to think that I missed his tent in the clearing.

“
Odrik,
”
I whispered, not daring to look up.
“
I am so, so sorry.
”

“
Don
’
t be,
”
came his low reply.

“
But it
’
s all my fault,
”
I said, my voice heavy and choked with my sudden surge of emotion.
“
I should never have made you bring me here.
”

“
Made me?
”
he echoed, and I could hear the smile in his voice.
“
You didn
’
t make me do anything
—
I would willingly have suffered much worse than death for you, Novalyn.
”
I sniffled and looked up at him.

“
I
’
ll try to bargain,
”
I told him.
“
I
’
ll tell them that I
’
ll go with Yorn, and maybe
— ”

“
No,
”
he sighed.
“
No, there
’
s no use to it, Nova. All that you can do is try to run away when they take me to the pyre.
”

“
I
’
m not going to
run away
when they set you on fire!
”

“
What will you do instead?
”
he asked, an edge to his voice. My eyes were adjusting to the darkness, and I could make out the shape of him against the far wall.
“
Throw yourself onto the fire with me?
”