Seduced by Two Warriors (3 page)

Arlo
frowned.
“Gia?”

Rune
nodded.
Please say no
.

“Be
careful there.
Both of you.
I saw the way Thane
drooled over her, too. She was in the holding cells and was chosen by a Tyrann
fighter pilot. He was taking her to his house in a land craft when he had some
kind of mechanical trouble. She got away by knocking him out with a large tree
branch, and then she ran for miles through the woods, in the middle of a storm.
By the time she was found, she had nearly died from hypothermia and
dehydration.”

Rune
swallowed hard. “I didn’t realize that.”

“And
that’s not all. She was in the holding cells for weeks, and there are rumors
this man who took her that night wasn’t the first one to choose her. But she
never talks about it, so don’t ask her. The reason we pushed to steal her from
her former department is because of what she went through. She’s the perfect
person to write this content for us because she has firsthand experience. She
understands all too well what they’re doing on Voyeur Moon. So does Fallon.”

“What
about Callie?” asked
Rune.

“She
does, too. We’ve been trying to convince her to write for us from home, and
then we’d have Gia translate it, but Jakara said she’s not ready to relive
those days again. He isn’t sure she’ll ever want to do it.”

“How
do you know Gia is ready?” asked Thane.

“We
asked her. Her former department head, Petroff, laid out for her what we wanted
her to do, and then she came here to talk to the three of us, and agreed right
away. All Gia has done since she came to live and work here on Sera is work.
She lives in the apartments attached to the Ministry. Petroff once asked her
whether she didn’t want to buy a home or at least find a condo to lease, and
she told him she feels safer right here. She doesn’t even have to go outside to
get home.”

“She’s
still afraid,” said Rune.

“Very.”
Arlo gave them each a stern look. “So please tread carefully. It wouldn’t look
right for a Ministry worker to harass an Earth woman working in a department
branch trying to inform our people what animals the
Tyranns
are toward them.”

Rune
agreed with him, but he still wanted to get to know Gia. He’d glimpsed so much
depth in those beautiful brown eyes. She was in there, just waiting to be set
free. And he was determined to help her
do that
.

Chapter
Three

Thane
managed to finagle a seat on one side of Gia while Rune took the other one.
They sat across from Cord, Arlo, and Fallon in a restaurant down the street
from the Ministry called Imàgo. Gia chuckled softly at the name, and Thane
asked her why she found it funny.

“It’s
a very famous, upscale restaurant in Rome. Or at least, it used to be.” She
frowned, and his heart went out to her. What must it be like to have your
planet invaded and ruined? And then brought to another one, and endure whatever
she’d gone through?

“Tell
me about the restaurant you knew,” he said, closing his menu. He knew what he
wanted to eat.

She
closed her menu as well, and gave him the most profound look of gratitude.
Hadn’t anyone ever asked her about her life back on Earth before? “I was only
there once even though we went to visit my mother’s family back in Labaro every
summer, before the invasions…” Her voice trailed off and she glanced around, as
if she was afraid to mention them.

“
It’s
okay, Gia. You can speak freely here.”

“Well,
okay. Labaro is a small suburb, but it’s so close to Rome that you can do and
see everything there easily. My maternal grandparents were born in that city.
They met as children and married very young. My mother was also born there, but
came to the USA to attend college and met my father while in school.”

“So
you enjoyed your visits, then.”

She
nodded. “Yes.
Very much.
There’s so much to do and see
it would take a lifetime to experience all of it.”

Their
server came over to take their orders, speaking their own language, but Gia was
able to order using it, and she sounded like she’d been born on Sera. Thane and
Rune exchanged an appreciative glance over her head. After their orders were
given, Thane asked her about the restaurant in Rome with the same name.

“It
was frequented by celebrities back in the day. US Presidents ate there, as well
as royalty from other countries. It has a view from all sides across the
historical parts of the city, and
it’s
crazy
expensive. It looks like a palace inside with marble floors, antique wooden
inlay, and mirrored tables.”

Thane
glanced around at the red and white checkered tablecloths and the empty wine
bottles with dried candle wax dripping over their sides on each table. He shook
his head. “No wonder you laughed. This place doesn’t look anything like that,
although I think you’ll enjoy the food. I wonder if they borrowed the name from
Earth?
”

“They
did,” said Arlo. “It’s the newest craze. Choose a place on Earth that likely no
longer exists, and slap its name on your business.” He leaned closer to the
center of the table. “I think they’re going for the empathy vote because there
are so many Earthlings living here now.”

Fallon
shot Gia a sympathetic look, and then she raised her water glass. “But we’re
not here to talk about sad times. We’re here to celebrate three new employees
to our department branch, and we are so happy you’ve come to join us.”

“Hear!
Hear!” said Gia, raising hers as well. “I’m very happy to be part of this.
Thank you for the opportunity.”

“And
I’m thrilled to have another Earth woman to work with,” said Fallon. She and
Gia clinked glasses, and then the men awkwardly imitated them, nearly breaking
their glasses in the process. Gia and Fallon giggled through the entire uncomfortable
moment.

“I
guess you all don’t do that here,” said Gia.

“Not
very often,” said Thane. “But we are familiar with the custom.”

“How
many Earth women have you had the chance to get to know?” she asked.

He
couldn’t stop staring into her brown eyes. They were so dark, and full of
warmth and light. Whatever this girl had been through, it hadn’t dimmed her
spirit. Not entirely. It was there, deep down. He wanted desperately to help
her find it again. “Not too many. We spent some time with a woman named
Marianne Kowalski when she was living in Vaughn’s and River’s quarters on Addo,
but not enough to really have a chance to talk to her about her life before.”

“You
can talk to me about it. It’s all right. What would you like to know?”

He
hadn’t expected her to be so willing to talk, and had no idea where to start.
He wanted to know everything about her. “What sort of work did you do on
Earth?”

“I
worked as a translator, the same as I do here. I worked for a company that did
more than eighty percent of its business overseas, and I was responsible for
translating online content and written content into Italian, French, and
Spanish so our customers could read it in paper form or online in their own
language.”

“You
speak all of those languages fluently, then?”

She
smiled. “Yes. And now I know yours, as well.”

“Very impressive.”

They
locked gazes, and everything else inside the restaurant faded away until Rune
spoke. Thane had to blink a couple of times to focus his attention. Rune had
asked her what kind of business she’d worked for on Earth. Or at least, Thane
thought that was what he’d said.

“Shipping solutions by air or
boat.
We also
did some coast to coast shipping in the USA over land, but most of our
customers were out of the country.”

Cord
smiled widely. “See? She’s perfect for this.”

“Not
to mention she understands
our
former
business, as well,” said Thane. “That’s what we ran.
A
freight company.
We had customers on other planets, if you can imagine.”

She
gave him a long, searching look. “I guess it’s not so different here after all,
in many respects. That’s what always surprises me. How most days, if I don’t
think too hard about it, I could easily be back on Earth, doing the same job I
always did.”

Fallon
nodded. “I know what you mean. As far as the day-to-day life, that is. I was a
buyer for Saks in Manhattan, and it’s unlikely I’ll find work like that here,
but when I step outside and watch people making their way into the Ministry, or
going home, I might as well be back in the City.”

Gia
smiled slightly.
“Except for the two moons.
They are
beautiful, though.”

“They
have four on Addo,” said Thane. “I wish you could see them. When they’re each
in various phases, lined up next to each other, it’s spectacular. And each of
them has a slightly different hue, so they light up the night sky with color.”

Thane
caught the quick, amused glance across the table between Cord and Fallon, and
when he cut his gaze toward Rune, his brother’s grin was mocking.
Whatever
.
This
girl had gone through horrible experiences, and she deserved to hear some
positives about the home she’d now been forced to make her own.

If
Gia had noticed the others’ glances, she gave no indication of it. “They sound
breathtaking. Maybe one day I will see them.”

“It’s
not a long ride over from here. Rune and I will take you.”

Her
eyes lit up. “Do you have your own spaceship?”

He
laughed.
“No, but there are shuttles back and forth quite
regularly now that the Tyranns are completely gone from Addo.”

“We
were planning a visit to see Vaughn, River, and Marianne next week,” said Arlo.
“Why don’t the three of you come with us? I’m sure they’d love to meet Gia.”

“Thank
you,” she said, her voice filled with gratitude and happiness. “I’d love that.”

Thane
and Rune exchanged another glance as their server brought the wine they’d
ordered. How long had this poor girl been so lonely? It occurred to him she
might not have made any friends at all during her time here. That was
inexcusable. They needed to make sure she met others, especially people from
Earth, and that she got out of the imposing Ministry and its attached
apartments once in a while. That was no way to live.

They
drank another toast once they each had a glass of wine, and Gia said it wasn’t
bad at all. “Where do the grapes grow? Right here on Sera?”

“In
the northern areas, yes,” said Thane. “And we have some vineyards on Addo, as
well.”

“Are
there any on Voyeur Moon?”

He
shook his head. “It’s much closer to our star and too hot for grapes to grow.
Most of it is rocky and dry, which is why the Regum
were
never interested in colonizing it.”

“The
part I saw was heavily forested.”

He
swore he saw her body shudder next to him as she spoke. “There are small
forests near the Zoo and holding cells, but as you travel away from there in
any direction, the trees and other vegetation become scarcer. Most of the
planet is dry and rocky, especially the side opposite where the Tyranns built
those two compounds.”

“People
still live there. Why? I mean, why don’t they come here, or go to Addo?”

“It’s
not that simple,” said Arlo. “Housing on all three planets used to be
controlled by the Regum, but now the housing on Voyeur Moon is under the
Tyranns’ control. Anyone still living there who doesn’t identify with them is
essentially stuck. There’s an entire department in the Ministry dedicated to
trying to get those folks off the planet, but as you can imagine, it’s no
longer an easy task.”

“What
about the Tyranns who lived on Sera or Addo? Are there still some?”

Cord
shook his head. “Doubtful. And if they are here, they keep to themselves.” He
glanced around, then leaned closer and lowered his voice. “The rumor is that
we’re one step away from the Regum sending troops door to door to make sure
there are no Tyranns left on either planet.”

She
shook her head.
“A police state.
But in a way, I see
their point. They’d be a danger to the Regum and the Addonians as well if they
were still walking around either planet freely.”

“I’m
sure they’re still here,” said Arlo. “Whether they intend to make use of that
fact remains to be seen.”

Gia
drained her wine glass, so Thane poured her another.

“Thank
you. I don’t normally drink in the middle of the day. This is just really good
wine.”

“Drink
up,” said Cord. “This is a celebration, after all. Didn’t people go to lunch on
Earth during their workday?”

“Yes,”
said Fallon, “but we usually didn’t drink.”

Gia
giggled, and Thane thought it was the sweetest sound in the world. “Some people
did, but they were the bosses, not us lowly workers.”

“Oh
my God, I remember this one time,” said Fallon, leaning forward, “when one of
the shift supervisors in women’s apparel where I worked went out to lunch with
the owners. They were in town from Toronto for the week, and he was such a
suck-up. We all hated him. He finagled an invitation to lunch, even though no
one had planned on asking him. When he came back he was stumbling all over the
place. We laughed our asses off.”

Gia
held Fallon’s gaze for several moments, and then Thane felt a shift in the air
near her. She placed her glass carefully on the table. “What was it like? In
the Zoo, I mean. I’ve heard a lot of rumors but never actually spoke to anyone
who was inside it.”

Her
question was asked quietly to begin with, and Thane waited while Cord, Arlo,
and Fallon barely breathed in response. Finally, Fallon spoke. “I was very
afraid when I first woke up. I didn’t know where I was.”

Gia
nodded,
her face impassive except for a small tic in
her left cheek.

“Walton,
the dirt-bag Section
Warden
 
pushed
me into the viewing room and explained the whole thing to
me.”

Cord
grabbed Fallon’s hand on the table, and Thane watched Gia’s gaze fall on it.

“And
then he tried to feel me up while he threatened me with the holding cells if I
didn’t cooperate.”

Thane
swore he heard Gia swallow.

“The
only thing that saved me from losing my mind was how wonderful Cord and Arlo
were.
Kind, understanding, and patient.”
She gazed at
each of them in turn with nothing short of adoration in her eyes. “They never
pushed, and they didn’t hurt me. We had to make it look rough, but they made
sure I was all right.”

“That
must have been horrible for all of you,” said Gia, her voice practically a
whisper.

Fallon
gave her a long look. “Not nearly as horrible as what you must have gone
through. At least I had a chance to get to know them before the first performance.
And like I said, they didn’t hurt me. We did what the Tyranns ordered us to do,
but in secret we kept it consensual. But you … you had no choice. You…” She
sighed out loud. “I’m sorry. I can’t begin to understand what you went
through.”

Gia
looked like she was about to speak again, but their food arrived. Thane watched
her carefully as she tasted it. Her praise sounded flat and automatic. He
exchanged a glance with Rune, who leaned close to Gia. When she flinched
slightly, Thane wanted to find every Tyrann who had done this to her and rip
his dick off.