Alien's Bride Book Three Page 4

  “So long as they meet my obligations I don’t dictate how they conduct their personal lives.”

  “You’re too lenient. This place is ripe for a revolt.”

  “My leniency is precisely why they don’t revolt.”

  I smiled.

  “I would be happy to live here,” Inga said.

  “Bah. No you wouldn’t,” Nayjoor said. “This place is disgusting.”

  She crumbled into silent tears beside me. I clutched her arm.

  The front lobby was another daycare. Esther seemed at a loss once we passed through it.

  “That’s about it. There’s five of those mess halls. Twenty of them living quarters. And then all the gardens. Oh, there’s a greenhouse and a pool. The pool was turned into a fish tank for aquaponics. You want to see that?”

  “Have you seen enough?” Elentinus said to Nayjoor.”

  “Absolutely. My feet are killing me.”

  Elentinus looked at Esther and Magpie. “We’re finished. Thank you for your time.”

  “You’re leaving?” Magpie looked at me. “We can’t talk to them for a bit?”

  Inga dug her nails into my arm. “I don’t want to leave. I want to stay, damn it!”

  “Inga!” Rolf-tem said.

  She screamed in Russian through her sobs. “Why can’t I stay here? Huh? This is my world! Not that fucking shithole! You heard that girl!” Her cries became choked. “You can pick another wife to replace me! Someone who wants to go! Any of them! Just let me stay!”

  Nayjoor turned his back to her. “Really, Inga. You have to cause a scene in front of these dregs?”

  She wept so hard her legs gave. I struggled to hold her up.

  Magpie came to her other side and soothed her hair. “What is it?”

  “She…she doesn’t want to go back,” I said.

  “Oh, sweetheart.” Magpie plucked her from my side to hold her.

  Esther started to cry angrily. “I knew it. I knew they weren’t treating you well.”

  Elentinus stood watching them coolly. I looked at him with my own tears forming. He lowered his gaze and spoke to Nayjoor.

  “Would you consider trading her for another bride here?”

  Nayjoor sneered. “What? Why would I do that? I don’t even speak their language.”

  Elentinus spoke more sternly. “You came here because you were unhappy with her. You should start fresh with a new bride, having learned from your mistakes.”

  My heart felt like it skipped a beat. Oh, God, please!

  Nayjoor’s nostrils flared. “I didn’t make any fucking mistakes. The girl was unruly from the start.”

  “A maniac!” Rolf-tem said.

  “So get rid of her,” Elentinus said.

  Nayjoor stared at his sobbing wife with a sneer. “I didn’t come here for this fucking hassle, Elen! By the gods, why do you try my patience like this? Let’s go. I’m exhausted and fed up.”

  He spun on his heel to leave. Elentinus caught his arm.

  “Are you keeping her because you love her? Or because you’re too bullheaded to accept a solution from me?”

  Nayjoor wrenched his arm free. He moved his face so close to Elentinus’ their noses almost touched.

  “Don’t overstep your boundaries, Elentinus.” He glared at him a moment more before storming away.

  “No! Please!”

  Inga reached for him, but Nayjoor refused to look back.

  “I won’t go back!”

  I plucked her back into my arms. “Come on, Inga.”

  I pulled her face against my bosom and leaned forward. She gasped at the sight of the control unit, and then looked at me. I nodded to her. It made my insides twist, but I gave her my silent promise.

  Inga stood without assistance to wipe her eyes and nose on her sleeve.

  “So, is she staying?” Magpie said to Elentinus.

  He walked close to her. “Find women of child-bearing age who might be willing to become Lord Nayjoor’s bride in her place.”

  “Why would anyone want to marry him?” Esther said. “He’s been abusing her.”

  “He harmed her in the name of our former druid who ordered harsh treatment towards women. There’s a new druid now. He has to change his ways or he’ll be a blasphemer.” Elentinus paused to consider. “Find a candidate for him who is of a submissive nature. If she is obedient to him and his servant there would be no trouble.”

  “We’d have to seriously mull it,” Magpie said.

  He locked eyes with Magpie. “Do as I command.”

  Neither woman met Elentinus’ eyes.

  We headed off after Nayjoor, who had a huge lead. I moved to walk astride Elentinus.

  “You’re going to make him do it?”

  “I can’t make him.” He kept his gaze straight ahead. “But if I put someone lovelier than Inga before him, it might convince him.”

  He was walking almost too fast for me to keep up. I grabbed his arm to slow him down.

  “I’m sorry.”

  He eyed me.

  “I know you’re doing this for me. I’m sorry I caused you so much trouble.”

  He took a few steps in silence. Emotion started bubbling up my chest. Say something.

  Finally he said, “Don’t concern yourself, Maritza. I interjected myself into the situation by my own choosing.”

  “I am concerned.”

  “This…this is the bane of my existence.”

  I frowned.

  “I offer my colleagues the right solutions, but they always dissent. Nayjoor’s too proud to concede to me. I’ll have to cajole him to make it seem as though he’s doing me a favor. That’s what he wanted this whole trip. To demean me.”

  “Damn it. Why are people so childish?” I fixed on the plodding dipshit in front of us. (Rolf-Tem and two of the Defenders had gone with him). “You shouldn’t have to lose face with that idiot. You ought to send Inga back and take off without her. Then tell him if he wants a wife he needs to accept one from the colony. He lost the right to be married to Inga when he abused her.”

  Elentinus smiled sadly. “My darling, such an act would cause civil war.”

  My face got hot. How dare that asshole tie my husband’s hands? He was so beneath Elentinus.

  “Okay. So how about you stick it to him without being culpable?”

  Elentinus looked toward me. I kept focused straight ahead. I knew I was venturing into dangerous territory. My heart rate sped up.

  “Take Inga back with us, but sneak her out later. You have escape pods or something, right? When we can’t find her make it seem like the same people who rescued Sasha got Inga too.”

  We got too close to Nayjoor to continue the discussion. He stood with his group waiting for the gangplank thing to open. Elentinus moved beside him and touched his shoulder.

  “My friend, let’s not allow our disagreement to spoil your visit.”

  My brow rose. He really was a gracious conqueror.

  Nayjoor swallowed and lowered his head to consider. “Alright. I’ll stay. But do watch your tone in the future.”

  Elentinus said nothing. I was the only one who knew the anger behind his serene expression.

  We boarded the ship and left Earth.

  ***

  Nayjoor insisted he needed a nap once we returned. Inga tried to get me to go into the bathroom with her. I resisted, despite needing to pee. There was still hope that I wouldn’t have to betray my husband. I was determined not to let go of that control unit until I knew there was no other option.

  “I’d like to go exercise,” Elentinus said after Nayjoor had left us in the big lobby area.

  “Sure, honey,” I said. “Go blow off some steam.”

  “She refers to him so disrespectfully?” Rolf-Tem said.

  “Frequently,” Whore said.

  “Why don’t you compose another letter to Pakpo,” Elentinus said before heading towards the elevator. “Try to convince him to outlaw the use of shock collars on brides.”

  “
That’s a great idea,” I said.

  He kissed the air towards me as the elevator doors slid closed.

  “That’s a horrible idea,” Rolf-Tem said. “How can he suggest such a thing after Inga threw a tantrum in front of all those slaves? He’s not just ignoring an egregious crime; he’s encouraging it.”

  I spun around to face him. “The reason she threw a tantrum was because you shock her so much she’s desperate to escape the torture.”

  “No.” He lifted his nose high enough for me to see into his nostrils. “The reason she threw a tantrum was because Lord Elentinus crushed my control unit and she knows I can’t shock her.”

  “Save your breath,” Whore said. “Maritza enjoys bickering. You’re just giving her sport.”

  I fixed on him with narrow eyes. “You know, Hor-Denay, I thought you were better than this guy. I was actually grateful to have you instead of him. Now I know you couldn’t have shocked me even if you’d wanted to. You weren’t holding back.” I tried not to get emotional. “I bet you would have shocked me just as much as Rolf-Tem shocked Inga if you could have.”

  “That’s not true.” Whore gave me his most vicious stare to date. “I would have shocked you more.”

  I don’t know why this hurt me so bad. My throat got so choked I could barely speak.

  “Why?”

  Rolf-Tem shrieked with laughter. They reminded me of two playground bullies.

  “May I tell her?” Rolf-Tem said.

  Whore smiled at him. “Oh, yes. I’d love to hear your take.”

  (Throughout all of this Inga was clutching my arm with her head down. Her only consideration was getting me alone with her. She proved this with a constant tug toward the bathroom behind us.)

  “You think you’re one of us,” Rolf-Tem said. “As if you could marry into the exquisitely noble Dak-Hiliah race. How dare you presume this? You’re just filthy alien scum to be scraped off the bottom of our shoes. What have you done to earn a place among the Dak-Hiliah? Any female can spew babies. You’ve done nothing, and yet feel you should be privileged.” He leaned forward so his cruel eyes could sear into me. “I cleaned toilets as a boy, and shined the boots of unworthy masters. I had to give up my manhood to stand beside a nobleman. Oh, but your noisome demands are endless. You whine like spoiled infants. ‘I was kidnapped. It’s not fair.’ Not fair? Was my life fair? It wasn’t, but I neither whined nor demanded privileges. I proved myself worthy of privilege through sacrifice. That’s more than you’ll ever do.”

  He left me exasperated. “How could I possibly prove myself?”

  “You can’t,” Whore said. “So cease with your bloated sense of entitlement.”

  I shook my head with my mouth open. I was mostly shocked at myself. Why had I lowered my guard again? Especially with Rolf-Tem, who was just a more extreme version of Whore. He probably had it even worse than Whore growing up due to his homeliness.

  Rolf-Tem I couldn’t care less about. Whore, who I had to live with and who my husband genuinely cared about, was harder to dismiss. I wanted to hold on to the belief that there was some way I could prove myself to him.

  I strode off, dragging Inga along with me. “I’m going to go write the letter on that white board.”

  “What you write is useless unless I load it to a tablet,” Whore said.

  “I’ll get Kang to do it.”

  “Kang?” Rolf-Tem said.

  “She named a Domestic.”

  They started following us. I was fine with that. I still didn’t want to be alone with Inga.

  “You know what happens when you name a Domestic unit, don’t you?” Rolf-Tem said with an annoying nasal laugh.

  I didn’t slow my stride.

  “They’ll want to have sex with you,” Whore said.

  This made me stop. “What?”

  The two morons laughed together. It was surreal seeing Whore so happy.

  “What are you talking about?”

  My outrage just made them laugh harder. It became obvious I wasn’t going to get an answer. I kept heading for the meeting room.

  “I have to use the bathroom,” Inga said.

  “Go by your damn self!” Rolf-Tem said. “You just want her to go with you so you can talk about me.”

  Whore and Rolf-Tem exchanged scoffs.

  ***

  I got a decent one-page letter written despite my thoughts being dragged in all directions. It was a simple point to make: Leave the collars on for their protection, but turn off the shock mechanism. It struck me that if the letter worked Inga wouldn’t need my drastic betrayal. I tucked that knowledge away with all my other conflicting thoughts for analysis later.

  Kang brought us refreshments. I had an urge to ask him some awkward questions, but the matter seemed so small compared to what was really weighing on me. I looked forward to the situation with Inga being over with so I could make our sex talk a priority.

  Eventually I had to go to the damned bathroom. I tried to knock the girl off me, but she was like an octopus. I had to pee too badly to struggle with her.

  “Give it to me,” she said the second we were alone.

  It was hard to argue while doing my business in front of her. (The toilet was similar enough to fancy Japanese toilets I’d heard about not to bother me, but it was positioned way too high).

  “Not yet,” I said, once the cooch dryer shut off.

  “Fuck. You.” She was growling and her face was red.

  I went to wash my hands. “Look, you heard Elentinus. He’s going to try to convince Nayjoor to let you stay at the colony. Even if Nayjoor doesn’t agree, Eletinus might let you go there anyway and just claim you were kidnapped.”

  She slammed the heel of her palm on the sink. “That wasn’t the fucking plan! I already have a place to go. I’m supposed to be fucking rescued.”

  “Wouldn’t you rather go to Earth? If the Aquars rescue you they’ll take you to their planet. Apparently it’s not so great. Sasha was posting online trying to find someone who would get her out of there.”

  “Earth isn’t sure! The rescue was sure.”

  “You have to give it a chance, Inga.” I leaned close to whisper shout at her. “I don’t want to betray my husband!”

  She grabbed the neckline of my dress. “Fuck this!”

  I got hold of her wrists. Her skinny arms were like bands of steel. She dug into my cleavage until she got hold of the unit.

  “I’m sick of putting my fate into the hands of a fucking idiot!”

  “Let it go!”

  I tried to pry it out of her fingers. She put her newly free hand against my cheek with claws bared. She was threatening to scratch me.

  “Give it!”

  “No! I’m going to scream and get everyone in here!”

  “You fucking bitch!”

  Some of her spit hit my face.

  “I’ll tell them everything!”

  There was a knock at the door. We both froze.

  “Maritza?” Elentinus said.

  I was already adrenalized from the fight. Elentinus’ voice made my heartbeat feel like it echoed inside my chest.

  “Yes, husband?” I said, and then switched to a whisper. “Let it go right now or I’m getting him in here!”

  Inga smashed it against my breastbone and broke away from me. I ignored the pain and tucked it back down between my breasts.

  “I’ve come to fetch you and Inga for dinner. Lord Nayjoor is waiting.”

  “We’ll be right out!” I kept my voice cheerful. “We were just freshening up.”

  Inga was standing with her arms tightly crossed. “Fuck this shit.”

  Bitch! I just lied to my husband for you!

  Elentinus probably suspected something by now. We were too in tune for him not to detect my forced cheeriness. The thought made me glad. Maybe he’d confront me and I could break down and tell him everything.

  No!

  No, I had to do the right thing. I couldn’t let Inga’s personality enter into it. She was sti
ll a victim. I just had to keep reminding myself that.

  Don’t get petty. Pettiness is for people with small minds like Rolf-Tem and Whore. You’re better than that, Maritza.

  Elentinus took my hand to lead me to the dining room. Inga no longer clung to me. She dragged her feet behind us with her arms crossed and a derisive expression.

  “Your face is flushed, my darling.”

  I’m sure it was. I puffed out a breath. “It’s been a long day.”

  “The letter was splendid. Concise, but evocative. You’ve a gift for the written word. I told Hor to send it straight away.”

  I looked at him with a bittersweet smile. “Thank you, husband.”

  His praise made my wilted spirit blossom again. Emotion built in my chest that could have easily stuttered out into sobs. I felt pain and joy at the same time because of how much I loved him.

  We joined Nayjoor at the table. He put away the tablet he’d been reading.

  “I want nothing but Earth food,” Nayjoor said. “I might as well get some benefit to staying here.”

  “I informed the Cookers of your request.” Domestics served beverages and the first course as Elentinus spoke. “They were able to accommodate you.”

  I got a plate of canned sardines on butter crackers. If this was all he could get from Earth it was no wonder we usually ate Dak-Hiliah food.

  “Surely the cuisine is not the only benefit you can gain from this visit?” Elentinus said.

  Nayjoor glowered at him while biting a cracker.

  Elentinus smiled. “Am I forbidden to even broach the topic?”

  “It’s your prerogative if you want to be rude.”

  “Won’t you even look at the brides who would gladly take Inga’s place in your bed?”

  “So…you want to be both rude and vulgar.”

  Domestics replaced our first dishes with a second: blackberries on a blob of white stuff. Yogurt would have been nice, but it was some kind of runny cheese.

  “Humans are innately compassionate, Nayjoor. Particularly the females. Inga’s unhappiness distresses my wife. I know she’ll be in anguish long after you’re gone if the situation isn’t mended.”

  “You are not the one to mend my situation. That became clear enough after I got here.” He grimaced at his food. “This white stuff is disgusting. Take it away.”

  Domestics took the plates away from all of us. None of us were interested in the salty goo. They set down soup bowls full of red liquid with big soft red vegetables and creamy looking white blobs on top.