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“Peace? At what cost?” I slammed my fist on the table. Dishes and glasses went flying to shatter on the floor. Wine spilled like the blood of a righteous kill. “There must be justice!” I shouted in Ara-Cope. “Without justice for all alien species, there can be no peace!”
The king and queen gaped at me. They’d birthed me, stigmatizing me with their elitist blood. The eyes of all the oppressors were upon me. From stunned silence, the room erupted into pandemonium, everyone speaking at once.
“What the zigqat are you doing?” Aeon barked in Ara-Cope.
“What’s happening?” cried the ovwet next to me. “Why are you shouting?”
I leaped to my feet. Extending claws, I sliced through the ankle band and flung it away. Then I hauled the female out of her chair, shielding myself with her body. Aeon, far more valuable to the king and queen, might have made a better hostage, but the ovwet would be easier to manage.
“Lomax, what are you doing?” the queen said.
“Guards! Guards!” the king shouted.
Aeon jumped to his feet, putting himself between me and his ovwet bond-mate. I wasn’t interested in her. The hostage I had would suffice.
The footmen from outside the dining hall rushed in, blasters drawn.
“Come any closer, and I’ll kill her!” I tightened my arm around the ovwet’s neck. She choked and grabbed at my arm. Ignoring the pang in my head and chest, I dragged the gasping female from the room.
Chapter Seven
Kat
My throat burned. Lomax had his arm clamped so tight around my neck I could hardly breathe. I couldn’t speak. I tried to turn my head sideways to take the pressure off my windpipe.
As he jogged through the palace, my feet bounced off the floor. Stop! Stop! My vision grayed, and my ears rang. I was on the verge of passing out when my feet touched the floor again, and the arm banded across my throat eased.
Tears stung my eyes. “Hhhllp…hhhllp…” I croaked as we flew past startled servants who did nothing to intervene, either too stunned to react or unwilling to take action against a prince.
We entered a wide deserted corridor, and I recognized the guest wing of the palace. We’re going to my suite. But he dragged me past my room without a glance. I hung onto his arm, trying to relieve the pressure. At the end of the wing, he entered the elevator, which dropped us to the ground floor. Then he hauled me out to the garden where we’d spent so many hours. What is going on? Why are you acting this way?
He snapped. Fear spiked as the obvious truth overwhelmed my desperate need for denial. Why? How? He’d been deprogrammed!
Never in a light-year had I imagined he would hurt me. How could this be happening? I had to find a way to reach the real Lomax. There had to be some vestiges of the tender, loving man still inside him. He’d been normal. And then, without warning, he’d flipped. Started shouting. I wished I could understand what he’d said.
Not a single soul was in the garden courtyard. Night had fallen, and hover lamps cast long, sinister shadows. Tears pricked my eyes at the sight of the fountain where I’d whittled away the time in anticipation of our romantic rendezvous. The statue of the king seemed to mock me while the queen smiled pityingly. Skirting around lighted paths for the shadows, Lomax made a beeline for a heavy metal gate emblazoned with the crest of Araset.
It rolled open, and he dragged me onto a roadway. The lights were dimmer among the towering blocks of utilitarian housing units. He darted into a narrow, dark alley separating two units and hissed into my ear, speaking Terran Universal for the first time since he snapped. “Do not say a single word.” He released me.
I sucked in air as fast as I could get it. My throat felt raw, but worse was the pain in my heart. “Lomax, what is hap—”
He struck out with a backhand, and I cried out, but the blow never came. His hand froze midair. His face contorted, as if in pain. I held my breath.
A second later, the pain cleared, and his expression hardened. He pushed me. “Move.”
I reeled with shock at how close he’d come to hitting me. This isn’t Lomax. I’d been taken by the insurgent Millie and Nadir had encountered. But he was deprogrammed! What happened?
He hustled me through a warren of alleys to a wide entrance leading to an underground tunnel. A musty chill wafted up from the darkened depths. “Down,” he ordered. His voice had become guttural, harsh, devoid of its usual smoothness. His behavior and manner had altered so dramatically, if I hadn’t seen the transformation with my own eyes, I would have sworn he was a different person.
We descended the stairs at a pace that had my heart leaping into my throat. Few and far between, the sconces didn’t provide enough illumination, and I feared missing a step and plunging to my death. There seemed to be no end to the steps.
When we reached the bottom, he didn’t slow but herded me through the dark tunnel. Gray cinder walls reminded me of a tomb, a terrifying comparison. He could kill me here, and no one would find my body. Is this how it ends? Is that why he brought me here?
From a distance came the shuffle of footsteps. Lomax sliced his hand across his throat, signaling for me not to utter a sound and ushered me into a shallow alcove in the wall. Pressing on my shoulders, he had me hunch down and then draped himself over me. Warm breath caressed my ear, his tusks poked my head, and his masculine alien musk infused my senses. My heart ached. How could he be so familiar yet different? Why had he taken me? What did he intend to do with me? How much danger was I in?
Footsteps and voices grew louder. I couldn’t understand the words, but I recognized the urgent tone. They’re searching for him. Word has gotten out.
Please. Please. In here! With Lomax so unstable, I didn’t dare call out or try to attract attention, but I prayed they’d notice us. But they passed right by, and footsteps, voices, and hope faded away.
