Senator's Pet Read online

  Rylos stepped toward me. When I took another step back, he only walked more quickly. After one last infuriating step, my back hit a wall. He grabbed my shoulders, rooting me in place.

  "Forgive me," he implored. "I didn't want to tell you because you already only see the bad in us. Trust me when I tell you I came down hard on them. Those involved in the decision-making process were removed from their positions. I promise you."

  "Save your promises for someone who wants them. That doesn't make you any less awful. All of you. You know, when the Adrax first landed on our planet, we welcomed them, and—"

  "And that worked out well for you, didn't it?" Rylos instantly clenched his eyes shut and pulled away. Good thing he did, because I would've pushed him away if he hadn't.

  Fury rushed through my veins as I pounded down the hallway and back to my room. Once inside, I tore off the stupid maid outfit I'd been so grateful to wear—because I had let myself be reduced to someone who was grateful to wear some damn clothes for once. Is this what a year of captivity has done to you, Marion? I wasn't going to get anywhere if I stayed here with my guard down, just going with the flow for some stupid reason. So I was leaving. Tonight.

  9

  My plan to escape wasn't going well. Because it all hinged on that stupid bracelet. So I broke my tablet into pieces and tried cutting off the bracelet with one of the sharp chunks and only succeeded in nicking my wrist. I tried bashing the bracelet. That was another recipe for horrible pain.

  In a fit of desperation, I grabbed the most slippery product I could find in my cosmetics drawer and slathered it all over my wrist. I still couldn't get the stupid shiny chunk over my hand.

  So I lay down on my bed and quietly considered my options with an increasingly sticky wrist. I heard the governor arrive about thirty minutes ago or so. I could hear them chatting and laughing all the way in my room. I was glad to know that Rylos was having such a great evening while I should be lying here learning to be grateful for all his great help.

  I couldn't believe they were going to kill me. A living, breathing, thinking creature not all that different from them. One that wasn't even sick, mind you. I just wouldn't submit and obey like they wanted me to. And that made it worth killing me. They couldn't have even just sent me packing on a ship elsewhere. Nope. Killing me was the only option. People might think poorly of the Korysti if some ill-mannered human came from their planet.

  I was about to engage in round two of attempted-bracelet-breaking when my door suddenly opened and a wide-eyed Solyndi stepped inside. I quickly hid my wrist behind me as I sat up.

  "What's going on?" I asked. It was beyond unusual for the maids to come around any time other than meal times, and I didn't expect dinner until after Rylos's brother was gone.

  Solyndi let out a long breath. "You're wanted in the dining room."

  "Wanted? For what?"

  "Apparently Governor Solys got word from a maid of his that the Senator has a human now."

  I frowned. "So, what, he wants to see me or something?"

  "Yes. And I realize the Senator is very, ah, forgiving, but I'm not so sure about the Governor." She screwed her face into a grimace. "Try not to insult him, would you?"

  After my recent enlightenment regarding the Korysti? That would take more than a little trying. But I didn't want Rylos to come in here and see my broken tablet either, so I figured it was in my best interest to give it the effort. I took a quick peek at my wrist and saw that it was mostly fine looking. It was still a little sticky but oh well.

  "Let's get this over with," I said with a sigh.

  Solyndi led me out of the room and to the dining room. When I stepped through the entrance, my eyes met those of a man who didn't look all that different from Rylos. But I knew it wasn't him. His hair was different, he was much thinner, and his expression was all wrong. He must be Governor Solys. He got to his feet before Rylos, who wasn't even looking at me. Figures.

  "I can't believe you were hiding this delectable piece from me, Rylos." The man looked me up and down with a grin. "She's gorgeous, isn't she?"

  "Enough, Solys. You've seen her, as you requested. Now, Kastia . . ." Rylos gestured toward the corner of the room. I looked over to see Kastia huddled up. The moment our eyes met, hers widened and she quickly looked down. Despite all my fury toward the Korysti, I didn't want her last memory of me to be a guilty one. I didn't mind that she told some other mouthy maid about me.

  "No, no. Please, stay." Solys approached me, a soft hand taking me by the shoulder and steering me toward the table. I rooted my feet to the ground. Solys's brows rose to his hairline as he looked at me in surprise.

  I gave him a wide smile, my teeth clenched. "I appreciate the invitation, but the Senator would like me to leave."

  Solys pouted. "Ahh, brother, you've spoiled the mood."

  Brother? Well, that's interesting. Apparently his family was big in politics. And yet he hadn't done a thing to help humans. But I was supposed to be grateful that he kept me here.

  "Kastia," Rylos bit out, "take her to her room."

  A small laugh escaped my lips. I supposed he had taken our spat to heart, just like I had. That meant I wouldn't have to worry about him checking on me, most likely, so I was happy with it. Or at least I told myself I was. Some part of me was almost a little hurt. I didn't know why. What else could I have expected from him?

  Kastia shuffled over to me and took me by the arm. The one that was still sticky from whatever mystery substance I had tried to use to get the bracelet off. She frowned, looking between my arm and my face, then choosing not to say anything. My slight glare might've had something to do with that.

  As she was escorting me into the hallway, I overheard the two Korysti men talking quietly behind me.

  "Have you had her yet?" Solys asked. "Humans are absolutely wild in bed."

  After a moment's pause, I heard Rylos reply, "Indeed."

  Kastia tried to muffle a gasp. A sick feeling washed over me as we walked. Was I some sort of fetish? Was that why he saved me? And I'd fallen for it completely. I had kissed him. Twice. I touched my free hand to my lips and swallowed the lump in my throat.

  "I'm sorry," Kastia said as she opened the door to my room. "The Governor shouldn't have spoken like that. It was crude and uncalled for."

  "It's not your fault, Kastia," I said, my voice quiet and weak. "Goodnight."

  "Goodnight," she whispered.

  Now, it was time to get the hell out of here. There had to be somewhere around the perimeter that was a weak spot. I would get out then find someone out there willing to break this stupid bracelet.

  Rylos could chase me all he wanted. I would escape every single time. I'd done it in the laboratory. And, hey, maybe he would finally get so frustrated that he'd euthanize me anyway. Because that was the way his people thought apparently.

  I eyed the small bag I'd packed with a sigh. It wasn't much. It was all I'd managed to grab in my free time. Food and water, mostly. In preparation for my escape, I'd dressed myself in that maid's outfit once more. Scaling the gate in a dress wasn't ideal, but I would just have to make do. If I kept on waiting until everything was perfect then I would never get out of here.

  The weakest point in the house was, hilariously, the window to my room. The guards did pay attention to this side of the house quite a bit, because Rylos's bedroom was next to mine, but I figured if I just waited until his brother was leaving, they would be plenty distracted. He was a governor, after all. Thinking back to his earlier comments elicited a noise of disgust from me. Good to know the Korysti had one thing in common with humans. Their politicians were the seediest guys around.

  When I heard talking in the foyer, I took that as my signal to start moving. The guards would be distracted by the governor leaving. I quickly opened my window, tossed out my bag, and hopped out. I landed neatly in the grass, because I'd hopped out more than my fair share of windows in the past year, and focused hard on the gate. So hard, in fact, that I didn't rea
lize anyone was standing beside me until I heard, "Going somewhere, pet?"

  I jumped and turned around to see Rylos leaning up against the wall a short distance away, a drink in hand. I scooped up my bag and shot him a glare. "Shouldn't you be saying goodbye to your brother?"

  "Shouldn't you . . . not be jumping out of your window in the middle of the night?" His words came out slowly, a faint slur in his voice. He pushed away from the wall and I noticed he was a little unsteady.

  "Are you drunk?"

  "You would be too if you were me right now."

  I drew myself up and took several steps back, trying in vain not to feel like a little kid threatening to run away home, I said, "I'm leaving, Rylos."

  "No, you're not."

  "What're you going to do? You're too drunk to stop me."

  "Are you certain about that?" His silver eyes suddenly sharpened, glowing bright in the dark of the night.

  I barked out a laugh. "The only way you're stopping me is if you kill me. You going to do that? Go on ahead. It's better than being stuck here as your wild human."

  Eyes darkening, Rylos set his drink on my windowsill. I stiffened as he walked up to me. He didn't touch me. But he might as well have. The way his eyes traced the contours of my body made it feel like he was. "I've tried so hard to prove to you that I'm not what you think I am . . . and all it took was a few words from my idiot brother to undo all that effort."

  "You're assuming you've made any progress."

  Rylos chuckled softly. "Why would I ever assume that? Because you kissed me?"

  "I was locked up for a year. My head wasn't in the right place."

  "Yes, I'm sure that's all it was." He wrapped his hand around my wrist and lifted my hand to show me the bracelet. "Just remember, pet, as long as you're wearing this, you can't leave these grounds without me. Good luck."

  I jerked my hand away with a scoff. "Don't fool yourself, Rylos. Your brother didn't undo your efforts. You did."

  I stalked away from him and toward the gates in the distance. Rylos didn't come after me. The guards saw me and didn't even bat an eyelash in my direction. I looked down at the bracelet with a frustrated groan. They didn't care because they knew I was stuck here.

  After walking the entire perimeter, which wasn't a small feat, and coming up at a loss, I leaned up against the cool stone wall that surrounded Rylos's property with a sigh. I lifted my wrist and shot an accusing stare at that stupid bracelet.

  I had no idea what this thing would do. Would it shock me? Make me pass out? I futilely yanked and pulled at it. I wished it at least had somewhere I could get to the inside and see its inner workings. Before I'd smashed my tablet, I used it to study Korysti technology extensively. If I could've found a way inside this bracelet, I probably stood a good chance of rendering it useless. But I found nothing about the bracelets, of course. I figured they were some sort of hush-hush government technology that Rylos was abusing.

  I slid down the wall and stared up at the dark, starry sky above. I refused to leave that spot. If I couldn't go beyond these gates, then I would stay as far away as I could. I didn't care if it was irrational. It made me feel better taking what stand I could. Eventually, the soft blue glow of the trees had me drifting off to sleep with my back against the wall.

  I woke a short while later. The moons hadn't moved much at all. With bleary, tired eyes, I looked beside me to see Rylos sliding down along the wall, two drinks in hand. He held one out to me. I eyed the iridescent, bowl-shaped glass with suspicion. "What do you want, Rylos?"

  "It's a peace offering." His voice was so slurred now that my translation device was struggling to process his words.

  "A peace offering?" I pushed the glass away. "If you wanted that, you would tell me that you're going to free me and help free my people."

  "You say it like it's so easy. As if I could simply snap my fingers and . . . freedom."

  "Maybe not for the others. But you have direct control over my life, don't you?"

  "Not nearly as much as you might think."

  "You could free me."

  "You are free." He thrust the glass toward me once more. "Now, humor me and have a drink."

  "What's in it?"

  "We call it krylo. It's a mildly mind-altering substance. It'll help you relax, that's all."

  "So it's . . . alcohol. I wonder why you would want me to drink that?"

  Rylos leaned back and rolled his head against the wall with a sigh. "I would never do anything that you didn't want me to do."

  "Like keep me prisoner and call me pet?" I took the drink with a short bark of laughter. "No, you'd never do something like that, would you?"

  To my surprise, he smiled. "Do you truly think you'd fare better out there? Without my protection?"

  "Your protection? That's what this is?"

  "Yes."

  He took a drink from his glass and I did the same. It was mildly sweet with a hint of something bitter. I figured that alcohol would be a universal constant. Where there were plants, there were people trying to ferment it into liquor.

  We drank in silence for a short while, staring at our cups, the starry sky, the glowing trees and grass surrounding us—anything but each other.

  Rylos was the first to speak again. "Do you truly think me so horrible, pet?"

  "Again with that word, just when I start to see something in you that's almost . . ."

  "Human?"

  I looked over at him. ". . . yes."

  He toyed with the edge of his glass. "Tell me, are all humans perfect?"

  I quickly looked away. I knew what Rylos was getting at. Of course we weren't perfect. Nobody was. And, sure, I'd admittedly spent the past year putting humanity on a pedestal, but we were nowhere near as heartless as Korysti. Logically, I could accept what he was saying. My heart had other ideas. I hardened my expression before I looked back at him.

  "Why won't you stop calling me pet? I hate it."

  His smile found its way back. "I know."

  "So why? Is it really just because you want to piss me off?"

  He nestled in closer to me, his body hard against mine. I ignored it the best I could.

  "At first? It was about keeping myself as detached from you as possible. But that didn't quite work out."

  It didn't? As hard as I tried, I couldn't deny that my pulse raced when he said those words. Marion, how many times do I have to ask? What's wrong with you? I didn't have any answers for myself. I simply knew something about that idea excited me in ways it shouldn't.

  "What about now?" I asked.

  "Now? Have I not made it clear enough already?" He brazenly swept his eyes over my lounging form. "The look you get in your eyes arouses me."

  I choked on a mouthful of my drink. Rylos got points for honesty and shock value with that one. I took a moment to recover, patting my chest as I quietly tried to clear the liquid from my lungs without coughing everywhere. The entire time I was painfully aware of Rylos's curious stare.

  "Is that such a surprise?" Rylos set his drink down and shifted to the side so he was facing me. "I've desired you from the moment I first laid eyes on you."

  "In my file, you mean? That's why you chose to save me, right? Figured I'd be grateful and—"

  "Marion."

  I jerked my head up to look at him. There it was. Unmistakable hurt. Why was he hurt? He'd just bragged about banging humans with his brother. I knew what I was to him without a doubt now. Just another toy to sate his exotic alien girl appetite. I didn't want to be that. Not at all.

  A voice in the back of my mind, one I'd been ignoring for so long, asked me why I hadn't tried harder to get away if that was the case. I didn't have an answer. Not one that I liked, at least. Instead of acknowledging it, I took another long drink from my glass. It'd been so long since I'd had any sort of mind-altering substance. Alcohol had been a popular pastime on the ship outside of work hours. There wasn't much else to do when floating through space aimlessly for years.

  The way my
brain was starting to feel fuzzy around the edges reminded me of all the time I spent in the lounge just staring out at the stars. I used to dream of finding a new planet to call home. One that looked just like Earth.

  I'd imagined starting a family and all that other normal stuff. As if our situation had been anything close to normal. As if they ever would be again. I looked up at the glowing tree hanging over us, illuminating the ground with a gentle blue glow—and I snorted. My chances at normal were pretty shot at this point, weren't they?

  "It's like torture," Rylos whispered.

  "What is?"

  "Having you here."

  I looked to the side, meeting his bright eyes. I held out my wrist. "Then let me go."

  He gently took my hand in both of his, one the skin of my wrist, the other my palm. A shaky breath fell from my lips. I told myself it was anticipation for him removing that damned bracelet—but that was so far from the truth it was stunning. The truth was that I loved the way he touched me. I could blame the drink for clouding my mind. I would just be lying to myself. For a man that was supposed to be cruel and selfish, his touch was so soft and sweet that it made me ache.

  Rylos cupped my cheek with one hand, the other still making soft circles against my wrist with his thumb. "I know I should let you go, but I can't."

  Despite his words, I moved my cheek against his palm, savoring the feeling of his skin on mine. "Why not?"

  "I'm selfish, Marion." There was conflict in his expression. "I want to have you."

  "Then have me this once and let me go." The words came out on a single breath.

  Before I could stop myself, I swung my legs over his lap and sank my lips down upon his. Rylos wound his arms around my waist and pressed his hands to my back, hugging me close to him. He felt so unbelievably good. The way his lips fit so perfectly against mine, the patient, yet hungry way he slowly devoured my kiss, pulling me tighter against him.

  I clenched my thighs around his, a burning ache flaring to life between them as I felt him harden beneath me. He groaned against my lips and a small, whimpering moan fell from mine. Stop this, I told myself, trying desperately to be firm. Panting out each breath I took, I shook my head, gripped his shoulders, and crashed my lips against his once more.