Sutek remains immobile, his body stiff beneath mine. He doesn’t look at me. He doesn’t even flinch.
“Is this thing working? Hello?” Greenie rasps, his hands seeming to extend towards us before evaporating, as though the watch can’t project him any further.
His actions—his attempts to see if we can hear him—would be comical if they weren’t his.
“I’ll be landing soon. Return my slave immediately, and I promise the consequences for your insignificant home won’t be severe. I’ve got no time for games. Do as commanded, or your building faces obliteration from the might of my spaceship’s weapons. The choice is yours.”
He apparently ends the call without even a goodbye, the light vanishing in a shower of sparks.
Finally, Sutek inhales sharply. His back and neck muscles are taut.
“Elana, explain,” he demands, his tone icy, not even sparing me a glance.
Suddenly, I feel very afraid.
ChapterFourteen
ELANA
“I’m not the critic,” I tell him, swallowing hard.
My hands shake as I grip the sheets tightly. I want to shield myself with them, yet also to push them away so I can bolt if necessary. Am I back to this overwhelming urge to flee? What happened to trusting Sutek?
Oh, right. I’ve lied to him the whole time, and aside from some passionate encounters, he has no real reason to help me—especially with Greenie threatening to destroy his beloved hotel, the one that he and his prince have spent so much time building.
I’ve brought him nothing but pain.
I’ve always feared someone betraying me. Now, I’ve become what I fear—I’ve betrayed him.
Sutek stands abruptly; the mattress rises as his weight leaves it. My heart pounds a frantic rhythm in my head, keeping pace with my shaking limbs. I can barely hold myself up; if I stand, I’ll collapse.
Fear engulfs me. Fear of the dragons, of what they might do to me and Sutek. Fear of Sutek’s reaction. I’m petrified about what he’ll say. Will he just cast me aside?
I don’t think I can survive being rejected. Not again.
“Sutek, I’m sorry. I just didn’t know how to tell you. Like, how do I even begin? Oh yeah, I just woke up as a slave one day? Oh, and aliens exist!”
Sutek inhales deeply; his shoulders rise, his muscles as tense as granite. The tip of his tail flicks back and forth, like an aggravated cat’s. Suddenly, I realize just how deadly and dangerous it appears.
“I’ll meet with him,” he says, staring at the wall, avoiding my gaze. He dresses quickly and moves to the door, his limbs rigid. Only then does he glance back; his expression stern.
“Stay here where I can find you,” he commands before leaving. The door latch clicks shut with deafening finality.
I gape after him, hot tears finally spilling over.
I brought this on myself. It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t lied, he wouldn’t be in this mess.
Despite his claims, he’s honorable and deeply cares for others. He’ll either hand me over to my abductor, feeling guilty about it, or try to protect me, risking everything.
As I see it, there’s only one solution: remove myself from the equation. If I can do one thing for him, it’s to protect him and his home.
With heavy hands, I dress in the clothes he made—beautiful, despite the circumstances. I wish I had shoes instead of going barefoot.
I’ve always been quick to come up with new ideas, a necessity when you’re living paycheck to paycheck and still not getting by.
I dash to the kitchen. No gun, but the cleaver is plenty dangerous. It takes seconds to grab it, my palms sweaty around the handle. My hands tremble as I see my distorted reflection in the shiny metal blade.
I have to do this. I must stand up for myself. In the past, I let others dictate my actions, and I ended up with nothing because I didn’t defend myself. That ends today.
