Page 2 of Tornn's Mate
Surely he cares about us, and surely he’s doing everything he possibly can to save our ship and the last of humankind.
Yeah, I’ve heard the whispers. That’s what people are saying, and it makes me want to puke. He doesn’t care about me, and he won’t miss me. The only person he cares about is himself. He’s using me to prevent an all-out mutiny.
The aliens are due to arrive at any moment, and as the seconds tick by, the knot in my stomach tightens. I haven’t personally glimpsed a Darrvason, but I’ve heard they are intimidatingly massive beings.
There’s an abrupt shudder, and something blocks the small window near the airlock. My pulse quickens. It’s the aliens. They’re here.
For the briefest instant, I consider praying. But what good would it do? No one answered my prayers when my father was sick. He still died, and he suffered greatly along the way.
Please watch over your sister and mother, he’d gasped with his dying breath,and don’t trust the captain.
Despair sinks its talons into me, and my spirits plunge so low, it’s a struggle to draw in my next breath. As I’d clasped my father’s cold hand, I’d promised to always watch over them, but now I’m breaking that promise. Because I’m leaving.
There’s another shudder, and suddenly the airlock opens. My uncle and his entourage move in front of the airlock, blocking my vision.
“This can’t fucking be happening,” the young woman standing next to me mutters.
I glance over and give her a sympathetic look. Thalia. That’s her name. Her father was recently involved in a plot to overthrow my uncle. He was sentenced to death, along with several others.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. I’m not just apologizing for the fact that she’s about to be bred by a fearsome alien creature, but for the recent loss of her father.
She draws in a long breath, but before she can reply, heavy footsteps echo in the docking bay, drawing our attention.
The security officers part to make way for our guests, and I watch in stunned disbelief as five impossibly huge beings emerge from the crowd. The dark-skinned aliens stand two heads taller than most of the human men. All wear tight black pants and long-sleeved shirts that appear molded to their muscular bodies.
“Oh my God,” I whisper, then press my lips tightly together when my uncle shoots me an enraged look. He’s standing so far away I doubt he heard me, though he must’ve seen my lips move.Fuck. I straighten and try not to look afraid. I try to look brave and set the example he wants me to set.Sweet, grateful, and obedient. I’ll do anything to guarantee the safety of my mother and sister.
The tallest of the Darrvasons steps forward and inspects the line of young women. His eyes are dark purple, and I can’t be sure, but it looks as though there’s a red glow coming from underneath his shirt. Not all over, just along the neckline. But my focus quickly returns to those cold, assessing eyes of his.
It takes all my strength not to cringe or yelp when he settles his dark purple gaze on me. His nostrils flare and he takes two long steps forward. I gulp.
Why is he looking at me?
Captain Warren appears at the scary alien’s side and clears his throat. “If you find any of these females lacking in any way, Admiral Tornn, we would be happy to provide you with an alternate.”
Admiral? Holy shit. I’ve caught the freaking admiral’s notice. I lower my head and concentrate on a scuff mark on the floor, wishing I could will myself invisible.
Admiral Tornn doesn’t offer a reply. My flesh prickles with goosebumps, and my heart hammers faster in my chest. I don’t have to look up to know he’s still staring at me. His gaze is heavy, almost like a physical caress.
“All the females have promised to be cooperative, however, if any of them prove disobedient, you may return them for—”
“An alternate?” Admiral Tornn asks in perfect Galactic Common, speaking for the first time. His deep voice resonates in the vast space, bouncing off the walls and the ceiling. It also stirs something low in my belly, a strange but exciting sensation I’ve never experienced before.
“Yes,” Captain Warren says with an eager nod. “An alternate.”
“Alternates won’t be necessary,” the admiral replies. “If any of the human females are disobedient or prove uncooperative, they will be swiftly punished and forced to conform to the Darrvason way of life.”
Swiftly punished? Forced to conform?
I suppress a shiver, and I notice Thalia moving closer to me, as though I might offer her some small measure of protection. I wish. I wish I could save all these women from the fate that awaits them. But without the alliance, theJansonnalikely won’t last another moon cycle before environmental controls completely give out. I don’t like the decision my uncle made, and I’m both hurt and furious he selected my name, but I understand how serious our situation has become. I understand the alliance is necessary.
Captain Warren starts to wax poetic about how beautiful, fertile, and well-mannered the thirty of us are. He also talks about how honored he is that the Darrvasons have chosen humankind for such an alliance. Normally, my uncle bows to no one. Nor does he try to impress anyone. The ridiculous, over-the-top way he’s sucking up to the admiral is so pathetic, I find a smile tugging at my lips.
Shock fills me when one of the women farther down the line snorts with amusement. No idea who made that noise, but I want to be her new best friend.
I glance up in time to see my uncle stiffening and shooting a murderous look at one of the thirty, a blonde who has bigger balls than me. Or maybe she has nothing left to lose. Maybe her family is gone and there isn’t anyone left she needs to protect. I vaguely recognize her as one of the women who’s spent time in the brig, though I can’t recall her crimes.
“You and your men may leave the docking bay,” Admiral Tornn says, interrupting my uncle. “Once the thirty females are secure in our custody aboard theHaxxal, I will send over a team to start making repairs on your ship.”
