Page 100 of Warrior's Captive
“True, true. Yes, there are always inefficiencies to any operation, areas that can be improved.” His gaze sharpened, and Vivian saw the tinge of malice behind the relentlessly affable exterior as he looked at Shira. “You are lucky, pet, that I care more for my responsibility to my investors than I do about retaliation for the harm done me.” He nodded at Vivian. “Do your job well, and there may be benefits.”
She inclined her head, carefully taking her hand away from Shira’s arm. “I understand.”
He turned and began to walk away with his guards. “Of course, if your mate comes for you we will have to kill him, but that is not personal. Only business. I must recoup the damage done to my reputation. Taking you back should repair the breach, but if he were to come, even better.”
“He will not live once he is here,” the pale one said. “Do not allow yourself to hope.”
“Tai’ri knows what he’s doing, right?” Shira asked after they’d left the room with their escort.
“Don’t worry. None of the guards I saw were a match even for Yolu’s training. He’ll find us. Comfort your sweet baby.”
“Mayleen . . .”
“Is safe, and with her family.” By now, most likely. Tai’ri would have taken her to his mother. “All will be well.” She repeated it to herself until she believed it then stood and began to move around the room to do the job that would buy Shira leniency.
* * *
Tai’ri hadn’t known the true meaning of Silence until now.
He felt nothing, just breathed, each breath exhaled from a chest of ice. There was room for nothing but success, nothing but the utter conviction that superior strength, skill, and the rightness of his mission would weigh in his balance.
Vykhan and Banujani were at his side as they ghosted through the halls of this deck. Anthhori was never quiet, but today it was as if her bowels had emptied itself of the usual revelers in a sepulchral welcome.
They came to a corridor. Tai’ri gestured, and they went right. Vivian’s trail went cold once the enemy had taken her into a transport up to the pleasure ship, and she wore no tracking device, but they had not counted on the strength of the bonding marks.
Tai’ri had delayed filing the paperwork officially recognizing their bond, realizing it was just another avenue to track Vivian. The less information the enemy had, the better that lack could be used against them.
Evvek’s voice spoke in his ear. “You have incoming. There’s time to engage or take cover.” Everyone heard the same words. He remained in their transport monitoring the corridors and feeding them information.
“If we engage now, they will either increase the guard around the women, or take them from their current location,” Vykhan said. “We take cover and wait it out. Tai’ri?”
He felt along the bond. “She isn’t moving. She isn’t alarmed. Agreed.”
Evvek gave instructions, and they hid.
35
Vivian convincedtheir captors that torturing them with twenty-four-hour light wasn’t conducive to healthy stock. If they didn’t sleep, they would fall into illness. The lights dimmed, and everyone was able to exhale as much as possible, and try to rest. A few moments of blissful unawareness were manna from the heavens, though Vivian could not sleep more than a few minutes.
Tai’ri was coming. The certainty of it settled into her bones. She felt his approaching presence. Her job was to stay alive and gather as much data as possible. She dug into her marks, scratching absently. They itched insanely, like fire ants crawling just underneath her skin. It must be a nasty side effect of the bond, of being separated from Tai’ri for so many hours.
He was coming. They just had to hold on.
“Mostly everyone here is humanoid,” Vivian murmured.
She didn’t know if it was morning, but after several hours the lights slowly brightened, and guards came in with a bag and tossed silver wrapped packages at everyone. Vivian grimaced. She’d eat the paste because she needed her strength, but she didn’t have to like it.
The guard tossed one, and it landed against her chest. She stifled a hiss of pain. Her breasts were heavy with milk and sore. She’d have to do something soon. Vivian closed her eyes, desperately clinging to her calm. Grimly. She couldn’t think of Mayleen. Couldn’t.
After the guard left a shuffle of feet warned Vivian, and she opened her eyes as another of the captives inched over. This one was tall, oddly jointed and green skinned, her large eyes unblinking.
“No one who causes trouble survives,” the alien said in a light, soprano tone. She whistled through her teeth. “Always punished.” She tilted her head, and her large eyes half shut. “You think help is coming.”
Vivian and Shira exchanged looks.
“My people have good hearing,” she said, tapping the side of her head. “I’ve been listening. My name is Byeo-mi-cha’i, of the Hyunthu people.”
It didn’t surprise Vivian. When she’d made a tour of the room earlier and introduced herself—or tried—and spoken to each person for a few minutes, she’d noticed that when she returned to her corner, this green female continued to watch her and Shira.
